Hear Both Sides
by She Who Cannot Be Turned
Summary: When Sam went to Stanford, he expected to go to classes, probably get a job and possibly miss Dean and be lonely. He didn't expect to meet Loki and Crowley. At least he wasn't lonely.
1. Year 1, Part 1

**This is… um… I have no idea. I was lying in bed and thought 'why isn't there any/more Crowley/Sam/Gabriel fics? There should be. That would be an awesome threesome. Sam might not survive it with his sanity intact, but he doesn't really survive canon with that intact anyway, so in fact, it's almost canon!' and decided to write one. This is also possibly why I don't sleep all that well… **

**The title is taken from a song by Biffy Clyro called God and Satan, the full line being 'I talk to God as much as I talk to Satan because I want to hear both sides.' Which… given who Sammy-boy is sleeping with, I feel he's doing rather admirably. *snickers***

**Oh, and finally… ignore the glaring errors on college orientation/life/etc… I'm English… generally speaking, once you become a uni student over here, they let you fend for yourself… *snort* They do, on occasion, give you a friendly reminder that you should attend classes should you wish to graduate… but that's about it (well, that and a free tin of baked beans). *Snickers* Maybe that was just my Uni…**

**Also, some of you may know this. I posted this on AO3 years ago and have no idea why I never posted it on here...**

**Warnings: Slash! Explicit sexual relations between males. Threesomes. Student!Sam. AU. Stanford Era. Crowley and Gabriel blatantly corrupting Sam. **

First Year - Part One

Sam stared up at the building in front of him nervously and then took a deep breath, tugged his bag further up his shoulder and made his way towards the crowds of other new Stanford students waiting to find out where they would be spending at least the next year of their lives living. Joining the right line of students - which he swore was the longest one there but he could have been mentally exaggerating - Sam settled in for a long wait and just sent up silent prayers that whoever he would be sharing a room with would be tolerable at the very least.

After staying in line for what seemed like a lifetime - made longer by the fact that it seemed everyone knew at least one other person whereas Sam knew no one and had never actually felt so alone until this point - Sam noticed that he was the next in the line to be assigned his room. Sam was actually looking forward to getting a room seeing as he was currently staying in a nearby motel and he really couldn't afford to stay there for much longer.

"Hi! What name is it?" Sam jerked a little when his wandering thoughts as to just how much money he could realistically set aside so that he could eat and when he needed to get a job by were interrupted by an overly cheerful - really, too cheerful considering no one else around looked entirely too pleased to be there - voice. Looking down, he saw a dirty-blonde haired girl smiling brightly up at him, sharpie at the ready to mark him off as arrived… or whatever it was they did. More likely just doodling by the looks of the rather abstract figures on the girls paper.

"Oh, er… Winchester. Sam," Sam added when she looked like she was going to ask. Not that Sam was a mean person really, but her voice sort of grated on his nerves a little.

"Winchester… Ooh! Here we are! Right…" The girl trailed off as she began to search for whatever it was that they gave you during this small period of hell that the college claimed was actually orientation. Sam would rather take on a spirit, though he'd never admit that aloud, especially in front of his father or brother. "Ah! Here's all the information you might need, a list of the rules for your halls of residence and of course your key. You're in my halls, so my email is on there as well should you need me, or just knock on my door if I'm in, it's the room at the end of the hallway. Well, that's it! Good luck!"

Sam felt the way in which she said that - and really, surely it would have been common sense to actually tell him her name if she was the one assigned to helping lost and confused students - was slightly ominous. Smiling weakly at her, Sam took the small pile of things that she held out for him and then spun to leave and find his room, apologising when he bowled over the poor student waiting behind him.

He distractedly flipped through the sheets of paper he had been given as he made his way towards where the map - which had also been included in the many things the crazy RA had given him - indicated he would be living for at least his first year of college. And wasn't that an odd thought? Staying in one place for an entire school year. The mere thought of it boggled Sam's mind, which was possibly a little sad if looked into too deep.

Snorting to himself at his thoughts, Sam looked up when he reached his building and made his way up the staircases to his floor - thanking his father for once for the training he'd put them through and keeping him fit because apparently Stanford had never heard of elevators - and giving a small prayer of thanks when he finally reached the right one, but also cursing God at the same time for making his room be on the top floor.

As he reached his room, he noticed the door was propped open slightly indicating that his roommate had gotten there before him - either that or there was an inept and probably very disappointed burglar in there - and meant that he didn't get the first pick of the bed. Which was kind of the story of his life actually. Though normally he was beaten to the punch by Dean.

Pushing the door open, Sam was greeted by the sight of several cardboard boxes piled up in the middle of the room, making it almost impossible for someone to get by to the empty side of the room. Clearing his throat, Sam tried to look around the boxes - and was actually a little impressed that he couldn't see over them - and took a small step back when a harried guy stepped around them, blinking up at Sam in confused shock.

"Hey…?"

"Hi, I'm Sam… your new roommate?" Sam asked, waving the introduction pack in his hands as thought that backed him up. Apparently, given the look of understanding that crossed the guy's face, it did.

"Oh, right! Hey! I'm Brady. I'll move these boxes out of our way soon I just… need… to…" Brady trailed off as he looked around him and Sam snickered in amusement, carefully manoeuvring past the precarious tower and sitting on the unclaimed bed.

"It's fine, take your time. I don't really have anything else with me except what's in here. Um… do you need any help or anything?" Sam asked, moving his bag to the end of his bed and looking at Brady - who now seemed to be staring at Sam like he'd grown a new head.

"That's… that's everything? All your stuff? Where's all the books you're gonna need? And shit like that?" Brady asked, still staring at Sam like he was a crazed psychopath. Which really didn't make Sam feel very welcomed.

"Um… yeah. It's everything. And I'm gonna buy whatever books I need as I need them. Course, I'm gonna need to get a job first, or at the very least, hope the college sorts out my scholarship by that time," Sam muttered to himself bitterly. No one had actually told him that he'd need a legal and valid bank account in his own name for the scholarship money to go into when he'd accepted his place. Admittedly, it was common sense that he'd need it, but all the same, he hadn't considered it until his Uncle Bobby had sent on the letter from Stanford asking for such information. Fortunately, Bobby had also pulled through with that as well and had quickly gotten Sam all the information he'd need.

Unfortunately, he hadn't gotten it to Sam quite in time for Sam to avoid the delay he was now experiencing. He was just lucky that boarding was dealt with by the same office and thus they knew the issues he had been going through - meaning he wasn't homeless until it was sorted out. He was just hungry.

"Huh… guess it makes unpacking easy for you. So you're a scholarship student? Cool. Mean's you're smart, right? Awesome! You can help me when I'm stuck!" Brady said with a wide smile. Sam smiled back, though possibly a little more weakly than Brady, as he mentally translated that into Sam helping Brady whenever he was too hungover to do his assignments.

"Er… yeah, sure. Though we might not actually be taking the same classes. Anyway! Did you say you wanted a hand or should I just… stay out of your way and let you organise things as you want them?" Sam asked, looking warily at the boxes and wondering if they were actually becoming more and more precariously placed the longer they were stacked there.

"Thanks for the offer, but I think I'd prefer if I unpacked everything. You know, like you said, so that I know exactly where everything is. Save me from panicking in mornings when I can't find something," Brady told him, finally grabbing the top box and struggling for a few seconds - during which Sam closed his eyes in hopes that he wouldn't witness his roommate being flattened - before he got it loose and placed it on his bed. "So where are you from?"

"Everywhere? I mean, I was born in Kansas, but we kinda travelled all over. Army brat," Sam added with a shrug, finding it to be the easiest explanation. He didn't really think 'my dad took us all round the country in a hunt for a yellow eyed demon, killing anything supernatural that we found on the way' would really be an acceptable explanation for why he'd never really had a home.

"Ah! Explains the light travelling! Guess you're kinda used to not having many things to take with you when you needed to move on?"

"Yeah, wasn't as upsetting to leave stuff behind if you didn't really have anything _to_ leave behind," Sam said with a small shrug, moving to lie down on the bed and looking up at the ceiling.

"Huh. Makes sense. So what are you studying? Or have you not decided yet?" Brady asked him, clearly deciding on making this a get to know you session. Something Sam wasn't really used to doing and wasn't entirely sure he liked doing if it basically meant an informal interrogation.

"I'm considering pre-law, but at the moment I've left it as undecided. I'm taking the classes for pre-law but I figured I should at least see if it's for me, you know? How about you? Have you declared your major yet?" Sam asked, deciding to at least be polite and ask the same question back, even if he couldn't quite decide if he cared or not.

"Yeah, same here. Well, the undecided part at least. Don't think I'd quite make it as a lawyer. Never really have liked following the law!" Brady told him with a loud chuckle. Sam just smiled back at him, trying not to encourage the guy. It wasn't that Sam didn't actually like Brady - though there was something about the guy that was putting Sam on edge - he just wasn't all that used to knowing he would be staying long enough to actually make friends. And well, he didn't want Brady to be the first person Sam could honestly say was his friend. That right there just depressed Sam.

Which was possibly mean given he didn't really know Brady and the guy was probably a really nice person to know. Admittedly, Sam wasn't too sure he believed that, but all the same, it could be fact. Sam just didn't really want to make the effort right now. He just wanted to settle into his room and then possibly sleep until classes started on Monday.

"So did you wanna join me tonight? I'm gonna go to a party at the frat house! Apparently some hot and really easy girls will be there and what a better way to start college life than getting laid by a hot drunk chick?" Sam had to mentally shake himself from laughing out loud at the type of thing Dean would normally say to make Sam scowl at him. However, with Brady, Sam just found himself mentally adding 'and an STD' to the list of things Brady was likely to get that night if his plans went the way he wanted them to.

"You know, I think I might pass. I just wanna relax and get settled in until classes start. Have a good time though!" Sam added when Brady looked like he was going to protest. Brady just shot him a disgruntled and disappointed look before he shook his head and carried on pulling out books and placing them on the shelf on his side of the room.

"Your loss, man. Just means more chicks for me. If you change your mind though, let me know," Brady told him, and Sam nodded his agreement, shifting on his bed to grab his bag and pulling his laptop out of it. Sam silently pondered over going along with Brady that night if only for the amusement of seeing his new roommate surely getting knocked back by any female in their right mind, but the side of him that really didn't want to go won out and Sam stayed silent. "You're not gonna be one of those boring students that studies and doesn't go out, right?"

"Um… well, I'm not the biggest fan of getting stupidly drunk and waking up several hours later with a crippling headache and no memory of the night before or any idea of where I am, so… probably? Yeah. I'm probably boring," Sam admitted easily, waiting for his laptop to finish booting up so that he could sort out his internet connection.

"Damn, that sucks. Fair warning, Sam, there is a high chance you're gonna be sexiled a lot. But fairs fair and I won't be too upset should you sexile me," Brady added, as though that just made it all worth while and even between the two. And Sam actually wondered a little if Brady had been dropped on his head as a child, or if he was just borderline sociopathic. Instead of saying anything however, Sam just smiled weakly and nodded his head. "Shit! Look at the time, I really need to start getting ready for tonight!"

Sam glanced at the clock in their room and raised an eyebrow when he noticed it was only four in the afternoon, making Sam wonder just how much time Brady needed to get ready and if that was a good thing or not. He also silently wondered just what Brady was planning on doing with the remaining boxes piled in the middle of their room.

Because Sam was not dealing with them. Though he retained the right to laugh should Brady stumble into them when he returned drunk later that night.

Unless of course it was a night of miracles and Brady actually did manage to hook up with someone. Sam wasn't entirely sure if that would be likely. It wasn't like Brady was ugly or anything, Sam would admit that if only to himself - he'd also, only silently, accepted years before that he was attracted to males as well as females… he just had no idea how to talk to anyone he might wish to have a relationship with and by the time he possibly worked that out, chances were he'd moved on and the whole process started again - but Brady's attractiveness was countered by his slight douche-y personality.

Though it did seem to work for Dean, so Brady was possibly in with a chance.

Shaking his head at such thoughts and snorting at the strange things that thought brought to mind. He somehow managed to ignore the slight twinge in his heart that came with thinking of his brother and he considered that, with Brady as a roommate, he might not have quite as much time to dwell on the family he'd left behind as he feared he would. Maybe Brady would turn out to be a good thing.


	2. Year 1, Part 2

Part Two

Brady, so far, has not turned out to be a good thing. At all. Sam had officially been a student of Stanford for three months now and was slowly being driven insane by the fact that he had been sexiled, on average, four days a week every week since he'd moved in. And when he wasn't being sexiled, he was either being pestered into helping Brady with something or just being pestered. So Sam had actually been spending most of his time hiding out in the campus library and in his spare time, looking for a job. As he was starting to get a little bit short on cash for things like food and so on. Which was annoying.

So having applied for what felt like hundreds of jobs and gone to not nearly as many interviews (somewhat disheartening), Sam was beginning to wonder if he was going to survive to the end of his year without either a) slaughtering his roommate it a sleep-deprived fit, b) starving to death or c) failing his finals because he had no sleep or food for nearing on two weeks now and thus he passed out/fell asleep in the middle of the exams. Really, any of them were completely possible. Especially as his finals were fast approaching. His only godsend was that it would soon be Thanksgiving and surely Brady would be going home for that and therefore Sam would be able to sleep - if not eat.

At that current point in time however, Sam was sitting in the very back of the library, where he'd found most people didn't go (including whoever it was that cleaned the place apparently) and was staring intently at his phone in hopes that the people at 'job interview number fifty-million' would ring him soon and tell him that actually he was exactly what they were looking for and when could he start.

He wasn't exactly hopeful that this would happen.

He was desperate. But not too hopeful.

He had three cup noodle tubs left. To last him until January.

His future was looking a little bleak.

It was because of these depressing thoughts that he blamed as the reason for falling off his chair when his phone actually did ring and then flailing as he tried to answer it before it went to the voicemail.

"Hello?!" Sam felt, were anyone watching, they would be impressed at just how collected he sounded upon answering, given he was lying on his side under the table with one leg hanging over the chair. He also really hoped that no one actually _was_ watching. If they were, the least they could have done was help him up.

_"Mr Winchester?"_

"Speaking," Sam said, deciding to just stay lying where he was to avoid doing himself further injury. Or humiliation.

_"This is Dionne from Page Turners. I'm calling about the interview you had this morning? I just wanted to tell you that you were successful and I wished to speak with you about when you would be able to start?"_

Never mind sounding collected upside down on the floor, Sam was even more impressed that he managed to hold back his cheer of happiness. As it was, he did a small shuffle across the floor in an attempt to emulate the Snoopy Dance. Again, he was quite thankful that no one else seemed to go to this part of the library.

"Oh, that's great news! I'm free to start whenever, though I have classes everyday from ten until two. Anytime but then and I'm free," Sam said, stopping his awkward Snoopy Dance shuffling just before braining himself on the table leg.

_"That's brilliant. How about you come in Saturday at 8:30 in the morning, just before opening, so that we can show you the ropes and hopefully get to settled in by the end of the day? We can sort out the rest of your hours then."_

"That's fine. I'll see you on Saturday!" Sam said, smiling widely and probably looking a little special lying on his back. Dionne gave her congratulations to Sam for getting the job before she hung up and Sam finally felt it a good time to hiss happily and punch the air.

Finally, once he'd managed to stop himself making any more of a moron of himself, Sam carefully moved off of the floor and sat back down in his chair, still with a stupid grin on his face as he placed his phone on the table and pulled his abandoned book back over to read.

Were anyone passing by the little nook that Sam had claimed as himself ten minutes later, then they would have heard a bemused "I have fluff in my hair…" followed by a peal of giggles.

* * *

Sam glanced at the clock on the wall opposite the tills and stifled a weary sigh. He felt that he'd survived his first shift so far though given he still had three hours to go before his shift ended, he wasn't counting all his chickens just yet. He was clumsy and so three hours was plenty of time for a bookshelf to still fall on him or something. Still, he was actually enjoying his job so far, though he had to wonder at Dionne's sanity for putting his first shift on the busiest day of the week. Apparently, however, Saturday's were the best day to have your first shift given they were generally the most insane and you got to deal with most types of people as opposed to any other day of the week.

Dionne had actually looked like she was going to sob with relief when Sam had informed her that he wouldn't be going home for Thanksgiving or any other holiday in fact, and thus would be available for those shifts, which was a good thing given other than Dionne, the other two people working there were both students. Sam had only met one - a surly, serious older man called Luke, though preferred to be called Smythe - and hadn't really had much chance to talk to him that much.

Still, it was nearing mid afternoon and Sam's feet felt like they were twice their normal size and he sort of wanted to cry with every step. Really, the next three hours couldn't go fast enough for him and he was beginning to wonder how he'd be able to survive working nine 'til five thirty every Saturday and Sunday, and four 'til eight every Monday, Wednesday and Friday without his feet falling off.

He looked up when the small bell over the door rang and an older, sharply dressed man entered the shop, barely sparing a glance at Sam before he headed towards the non-fiction shelves. Sam followed him with his eyes before he mentally shook himself and forced himself to not stare - or at least stare less and not so obviously. He gave a small jerk of surprise when Smythe elbowed him in the ribs.

"Winchester, I'm going on my break now that it's calmed down a bit. Call up if you need anyone, though Dionne should be back down in like ten minutes, tops. Try not to burn the place down or something," Smythe told him shortly, only waiting long enough for Sam to blink at him before leaving him alone. And seconds later, Sam felt sheer panic rise up in him as everything that could go wrong in ten minutes rushed through his mind.

To his dying day, Sam would deny the tiny shriek he gave when someone cleared their throat, though given the security cameras around, he couldn't deny his mini flail which almost resulted in him taking out the poor customer who'd cleared their throat. And when Sam noticed that it was the man he'd - not so subtly - been staring at minutes before, Sam sort of wanted to die a little.

"Oh Christ! I mean, shit! No! Sorry! I meant, sorry! Please, don't tell my manager that I cursed. Please! It's my first day! Oh shit, I'm gonna get fired and then I'm going to starve in the back of the library and no one will notice because no one goes there and my roommate is too busy trying his hardest to get every STD known to man," Sam rambled, not really noticing the mildly amused expression replacing the previously annoyed look on the other man's face.

"Kid, you might wanna calm down before you give yourself a stroke or somethin'. I really don't wanna have to look like I care by callin' an ambulance." Sam's muttering and rambling was interrupted by a rough English accent, making Sam's brain short-circuit completely as he just blinked dumbly at the man. "Kid?"

"You're British," Sam said, unable to actually think of anything else to say and then blushing bright red upon realising that he actually sounded like a complete and utter spaz.

"Not a complete spaz." Sam gaped and then created a whole new shade of red and fervently wished the ground would swallow him up.

"I said that out loud, didn't I?" Sam asked, looking at the desk so that he didn't have to look up and face whatever expression the man was giving him.

"Yeah, ya did. And like I said, not a complete spaz. Just possibly a little special. And yeah, I'm British. Now, think we can move on from this and let me buy this bloody book? Either that or I'm walking out with it without payin'." Sam blinked at the man in shock and then quickly grabbed the book out the man's hands. Judging by the slightly stunned expression on the man's face, he was just as shocked by Sam's actions as Sam was.

"Um… sorry? Right, I'll just… Nietzsche? Didn't he have a thing for his sister?"

"Supposedly. Who knows? I never met the man. You gonna let me buy that or what?" Sam flushed once more and scanned the book, then handed the book over.

"Sorry, um… that'll be nine eighty, please," Sam said, sending the man a nervous smile, which only got more nervous when the staff door opened and Dionna walked out. "Oh God, don't get me fired, please?" Sam added in a whisper and sending a quick glance to Dionne.

"I like you, Kid. Name's Crowley and I swear I ain't gonna get you sacked. You look like you need the money this job'll give you to buy yourself a good meal. Don't you people get fed in your fancy colleges?" The man, Crowley apparently, asked him as he handed over a twenty. Sam took it and shrugged his shoulders as he worked the till.

"Um… I'm on a scholarship. So not really. I mean, we get like, a certain amount of credit things to spend in the campus canteen, but well… I don't think they'd keep an anorexic fed, never mind someone like me," Sam admitted even as he frowned at the till and mentally whined when it didn't open.

"Smack it. Fail safe with technology. If it don't work, give it a good smack. And by 'like me' you mean a moose? Yeah, I can see that. Anyway, your job is safe on my end, Kid. Don't want a dead student on my conscience," Crowley told him, and Sam smiled at him weakly, glancing over at Dionne, who looked to be distracted by an elderly customer, and smacked the till. He gave a small sound of glee when it opened for him. "See. Never fails. Am I supposed to give tips to you? I mean, America, land of the tip, right? England don't give a shit about retail workers. They live of what the shop pays 'em and ain't no business with us if it's enough or not. So? That the same over here for retail staff? The tip thing just apply to waiters and shit?"

Sam blinked at the man in front of him as he carefully counted out the change, and then closed the till and handed the change over. "Um… I think it's just wait staff that get tips. We don't have a tip jar at least. So your change is all yours!"

"Here, Kid. Keep it. Buy yourself some food or something. You faint and it might shake the earth enough to factor on the richter scale. See you round, Moose!"

"It's Sam!" Sam shouted after the man, completely unable to wipe the goofy grin off his face when Crowley just acknowledged that with a wave over his shoulder as he left the shop. The goofy grin even remained when Dionne wandered over and asked him what that had been about and if it was anything to be concerned about.

Sam really hoped it wasn't something to be concerned about and said as such, even as he pocketed the 'tip' Crowley had left him without any twinge of guilt over the fact he didn't mention it to Dionne, or Smythe when the man came off his break.

Sam was really hungry. That was how he reasoned his telling no one about it.

* * *

Crowley was one of the best crossroads demons for a reason. Admittedly, the biggest reason was probably because he had no problem with killing another demon to get where he wanted. Which was probably how he got out of Hell in the first place. But another reason for his success was because he knew when and where to be to get the most deals.

And near a college campus around the time of finals? That was one of the best times to be approached by sleep-deprived and desperate students who needed to pass their finals so they weren't cut off from Daddy's trust fund, but also didn't actually want to put any effort into it and wanted to spend all their free time trying to get as drunk as humanly possible without dying. And Crowley was completely down with those reasons. And frequently encouraged them.

So that was why he had a permanent address in California near the Stanford campus. Well, that and because he liked the California weather. After England, Crowley wasn't too fond of too much rain. And the reason he was walking into a small, independent bookshop was — actually it had nothing to do with making a deal and more because he wanted to see if the stressed and tired looking human behind the till was actually as tall as he looked, or if it was some bizarre illusion created by the window. Crowley wouldn't have put the latter past humans. They baffled him at the best of times.

The bell cheerfully announcing his entrance made the Moose and the Moose's co-worker look over to see who had entered the shop, but Crowley just ignored them and mentally wished a horrific accident on the annoying bell. And all annoying shop door bells in the world. He quietly made his way into the nearest section of books and then sneered at the boring books he had found himself in front of.

Curiosity, which was something Crowley had a little too much of if anyone asked his acquaintances - though a healthy dose of self-preservation did almost cancel it out - was the main factor in Crowley grabbing a book and walking over to the counter where he noticed that the Moose was now alone and looking (and Crowley would have to be tortured for several millennia by Alistair himself before admitting this aloud) quite adorably panicked. He'd bet his latest soul that the poor kid was new.

Clearing his throat when it didn't look like Moose had actually noticed that anyone was waiting to be served and smirking when it made the kid yelp and then almost take Crowley's head off with his gangly arm flailing about, Crowley took a slight step out of the firing line and then raised an eyebrow when the Moose shot him a startled look.

"Oh Christ! I mean, shit! No! Sorry! I meant, sorry! Please, don't tell my manager that I cursed. Please! It's my first day! Oh shit, I'm gonna get fired and then I'm going to starve in the back of the library and no one will notice because no one goes there and my roommate is too busy trying his hardest to get every STD known to man," Crowley didn't even bother to hide the grin on his face at the kid's rambling, though couldn't help but wonder at the small tugging feeling in the back of his mind like he had forgotten something regarding the highly flustered shop assistant in front of him.

"Kid, you might wanna calm down before you give yourself a stroke or somethin'. I really don't wanna have to look like I care by callin' an ambulance," Crowley decided to actually do the Moose a favour and interrupted his panicked ramblings before he actually made it even worse for himself. "Kid?"

"You're British!" The kid exclaimed, then looked mortified and muttered something about coming across as a complete spaz, which Crowley wasn't too sure he was supposed to have heard but there was no way he was gonna be leaving that alone. Hello, Crossroads Demon.

"Not a complete spaz," Though given he was apparently trying to make the Moose feel better was making even himself wonder about the demon part of that claim.

"I said that out loud, didn't I?" The Moose asked him, somehow managing to look even more mortified as he avoided meeting Crowley's amused stare by looking at the desk as though it might tell him the meaning of life. Or put him out of his misery and kill him.

"Yeah, ya did. And like I said, not a complete spaz. Just possibly a little special. And yeah, I'm British. Now, think we can move on from this and let me buy this bloody book? Either that or I'm walking out with it without payin'," Crowley told him bluntly, and was then promptly completely stunned by the kids gumption when he grabbed the book out of Crowley's hands and practically hugged it to his chest. The only thing that saved Moose from Crowley ripping his heart out of his chest was the expression that told Crowley the Moose hadn't actually meant to snatch the book away. And the sheer amusement that he'd given Crowley since walking into the shop.

And possibly because, even though he was a demon, he was a fair demon and Moose didn't actually know he had come dangerously close to pissing off a high-ranking demon who'd have no problems cutting out his liver and making a pate with it.

"Um… sorry? Right, I'll just… Nietzsche? Didn't he have a thing for his sister?" Crowley raised an eyebrow at the question and then shrugged, still mildly amused by the Moose's flustering.

"Supposedly. Who knows? I never met the man. You gonna let me buy that or what?" Crowley asked him, which got him yet another blush and then he was finally given the book back.

"Sorry, um… that'll be nine eighty, please." Crowley watched as Moose - and Crowley was actually considering getting the kids real name just so he could stop referring to him as Moose in his head - noticed someone coming out of the staff entrance and actually paled to alarming rates and made Crowley think he was going to pass out before he actually leaned forward a little to whisper frantically, "Oh God, don't get me fired, please?"

"I like you, Kid. Name's Crowley and I swear I ain't gonna get you sacked. You look like you need the money this job'll give you to buy yourself a good meal. Don't you people get fed in your fancy colleges?" Crowley honestly could say why he'd decided to give the Moose his name and why he was starting to feel protective of him. Though he did blame that building protective feeling on why Crowley noticed just how thin and drawn out the kid was looking.

"Um… I'm on a scholarship. So not really. I mean, we get like, a certain amount of credit things to spend in the campus canteen, but well… I don't think they'd keep an anorexic fed, never mind someone like me," Moose admitted to him, looking a little sheepish with the admission and for all the world like he wanted to cry when he realised that the till still hadn't opened.

"Smack it. Fail safe with technology. If it don't work, give it a good smack. And by 'like me' you mean a moose? Yeah, I can see that. Anyway, your job is safe on my end, Kid. Don't want a dead student on my conscience," Crowley told him, and Moose gave him a weak smile before glancing over at the woman who'd entered the shop floor moments earlier and Crowley had assumed was the kid's boss. Apparently satisfied that his boss was distracted, Moose bit on his lower lip and then smacked the till. He gave a small sound of glee when it opened for him. "See. Never fails. Am I supposed to give tips to you? I mean, America, land of the tip, right? England don't give a shit about retail workers. They live of what the shop pays 'em and ain't no business with us if it's enough or not. So? That the same over here for retail staff? The tip thing just apply to waiters and shit?"

Moose actually looked surprised at Crowley's question, though he probably wasn't quite as surprised as Crowley himself was. Why did he care if people left tips in shops? He didn't even leave tips when he ate out. He considered the fact he'd let the waiting staff live the night was tip enough.

"Um… I think it's just wait staff that get tips. We don't have a tip jar at least. So your change is all yours!" Moose told him with a another, this time slightly brighter smile, and then handed Crowley his change back. Crowley smirked a little at the stunned look on the kid's face when Crowley just handed the change back to him.

"Here, Kid. Keep it. Buy yourself some food or something. You faint and it might shake the earth enough to factor on the richter scale. See you round, Moose!" Crowley called to him, smirking to himself when he heard the kid shout his name back at him though he gave a small wave over his shoulder to let him know he'd heard. Sure he'd heard, but didn't mean he was going to use it.

There was also one little thing still niggling at the back of his mind, and the name the Moose had called out to him just made the niggling feeling increase in it's intensity and made a heavy feeling settle in his stomach.

Scoffing to himself at his paranoia, Crowley stepped into the nearest shadow and let himself fade away to his house. Really, he was being ridiculous. It wasn't like Lucifer's vessel was going to be attending college like a normal kid. As far as he knew, the elder Winchester had raised those kids as feral little hunter brats and he doubted the unstable hunter would allow his spawn to further themselves in any normal, socially acceptable way.

That being said, he figured it might be prudent to just get in contact with the one person he felt might be able to find out for certain where the Winchester's were. Nodding to himself, Crowley grabbed his phone and dialled the one number he made an effort to know by memory.

"Loki? It's Crowley. Got a quick question to ask, then you can go back to whatever it is that is causing the delicious screams in the background. Shouldn't take long. You know where the Winchester's are?"


	3. Year 1, Part 3

Part Three

Sam slowly - and by slowly, he meant so slow that Dionne possibly began to wonder if he was a little simple - started to know his way around the shop and how to work the till without having to beat it into submission. Which was something that amused Smythe - Sam thought so at least… the man looked amused - and disturbed Dionne. And after working there for a month - including surviving with only minimal mental scarring over Black Friday - Sam had also finally met the other shop assistant, who apparently took night classes and thus generally worked the hours that Sam couldn't. Which explained why he hadn't met her before then.

Emily was… different. That was all Sam was going to say about her. Well, that and that she perhaps had a bit too much love for God. In fact, the love was maybe a little unhealthy and bordering on blasphemous. Though when he had tentatively tried to point that out, the girl had burst into tears and had locked herself into the staff toilet for an hour and a half before they could get in touch with Smythe for him to coax her out.

After that, Sam noticed that he and Emily were on as little shifts together as possible. Which was a little impressive actually, and also amusing. Sam would have felt a little bad about making the girl cry, but at the time he was stuck between laughing in sheer disbelief and shooting her to put her out of her misery. There was a chance that living with Brady and finals were getting to Sam a little.

Crowley had also started to become a regular customer, though according to Dionne and Smythe, the man only came in when Sam was on shift, and Sam was beginning to think that Crowley could be considered as Sam's closest friend. Which was a little sad all things consider. However, Sam ignored the sad aspects of that - which were normally pointed out in his mind by a voice reminiscent of his brothers… even in his head, Dean was a dick - and just enjoyed the short moments he had talking to Crowley. Really, the man had the most wicked and dry sense of humour and it is a possibility that Crowley was also a tiny influence on Sam's lack of remorse for upsetting Emily.

However, that lack of remorse and Crowley's devious nature were the two things that conspired and got Sam into trouble about two weeks before the Christmas break - and only days before Sam's first final - when Dionne asked him in a calm voice if she could see him in her office. Sam nodded, and then mentally panicked, wondering just what he'd done wrong and where the hell Dionne's office was.

Finally finding the office - after having asked Smythe and then forgetting that the door leading into the staff room was made of glass and thus actually there - Sam tapped on the door and then walked in when he heard Dionne call out to him. Anxiously, Sam walked over to the chair opposite Dionne and sat in it, wondering what she could possibly need to talk to him about.

"Sam…" Dionne trailed off and gave a small sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose before she looked back at him and Sam smiled at her weakly, "look… I didn't want to have to ask this as it's not really any of my business, but well, it's starting to upset Emily and so it's time I did something about it. So… Sam, do you have a prejudice against Christianity of some sort?"

Sam gaped. Really, there was no other reaction he could give to that. Well, denying it and asking why she had come to that conclusion was possibly also a good reaction.

"Um… no? I mean, definitely no. I'm not too religious admittedly, but I don't really have anything against those that are. And well, I guess I'm religious enough that I believe in God and sort of pray to him, which is an awkward conversation topic to have with my boss. Can we change the subject? Or… at least tell me why you think that?" Sam asked. One day he was sure he'd get out of the urge to ramble to cover his nerves.

"It's about the Bibles," Dionne said and Sam slumped in his chair and brought up a hand to cover his face.

"Ah."

"Yes. Would you like to explain to me why you keep moving them all to the Fantasy section?" Dionne asked, and Sam sat up straight and sputtered in shock and slight anger.

"What?! Who says it's me? How come I'm getting the blame for this?" Sam asked, ignoring the feeling of hurt and trying to smother his anger before he got into more trouble.

"Your reaction would suggest that you at least know something about this. So if it isn't you, it means you know who it is," Dionne pointed out and Sam huffed, having to physically restrain himself from pouting.

"I might…"

"Right, well I would suggest that you make them stop, Sam. Not only is it disrespectful, but it's distressing Emily to the point that she rarely leaves the staff toilets. Now, make them stop or I will have to take action, and Sam? You're the only one involved in this that I can take action against."

"What?! Can you do that? Surely that's discrimination!" Sam sputtered, leaning back a little when Dionne shot him an unimpressed look.

"You're not a lawyer yet, Sam. I can do as I wish should I feel it is necessary. And I think this is necessary."

"But I'm working at least! Surely Emily should be the one getting a damn warning!" Sam whined, huffing once more and this time not actually able to stop his pout as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Sort it out, Sam. You have a week. It's Christmas time so quite a lot of people will be looking for jobs now, so you won't be too hard to replace. One week," Dionne told him, then shuffled whatever the papers were in front of her which told Sam that she had no more to say to him. Sam sat there for a beat longer, still staring at her in shock, before he shook his head and left the office.

He was going to kill Crowley.

Slowly.

* * *

"Alright, Moose?" Sam growled and grabbed the lapels of Crowley's suit before the man even really had the chance to finish his greeting, delighting in the slightly shocked exclamation from the man as he dragged him into the lesser used religion aisle - which really, Emily and Crowley were the only people who went there regularly, so Sam hadn't even understood why Dionne had been so angry about it during their talk three days previous.

And had his job not been on the line, and thus his continued living, Sam would have actually found the whole thing amusing. He still did really, but that wasn't the point and that wasn't why he was currently trying to shake the ever loving crap out of Crowley.

Not that the bastard looked like he was affected in the least.

"Problem, Moose? You gonna be letting go of me at any time this century? Let me tell you, this suit was not cheap, try not to damage it too much," Crowley drawled, making Sam glare at him and give him once last shake before he let go and took a deep breath.

"Crowley…"

"Moose."

"One, it's Sam. And two, remember when we first met? How you said that you wouldn't get me fired because you figured - rightly - that I needed it? Remember any of this?" Sam asked, trying to calm himself down and twitching a little when Crowley shrugged and casually leant on one of the shelves.

"Might remember something about it. Why? You been fired? Can't be blaming that on me, Moose."

"Crowley…" Sam gritted his teeth and took a deep breath as he felt his anger rise once more. Really, Sam liked Crowley - possibly more than liked but that was a little too schoolgirlish for Sam's comfort - and he didn't want to ruin that friendship because he beat Crowley to death with one of the very Bibles the man tried to pass off as Fantasy.

"Moose, what's the problem?"

"Look, I've been given a warning. You need to stop rearranging the books in here or I'm gonna be out of a job in about four days. I _need_ this job, Crowley. I can't afford to not have it and I really don't want more time on my hands to spend it with my delightful housemate," Sam said, voice slowly moving from anger to blatant whining by the end of it.

"This housemate, is he the reason you spend either all your time working here or sitting in that cafe over the road instead of actually sleeping and living in wherever it is this college houses it's students?" Crowley asked, seemingly completely ignoring the reason for Sam's nervous breakdown.

"Not important right now, Crowley! Look, just please promise me that you'll stop messing about with the books! Please?" Sam asked - alright, he begged and he wasn't ashamed to admit that. Judging by the slightly shocked look on Crowley's face however, he hadn't expected the sheer desperation that Sam was showing.

"Fine, I'll leave the Bibles in the wrong section. It's all bollocks though, you know that, right? Utter bollocks. Now that we've sorted that out, let's go back to your living situation, yeah?" Crowley said, looking like it wasn't really up for debate and Sam didn't actually have any choice in the matter.

"No. I need to go back to my job now. I've used up my lunch break to speak to you about this, so you're just going to have to wait until the next time you're in here to further my need for therapy," Sam snapped, pouting when Crowley quickly grabbed his wrist and looked like he wasn't going to let Sam go. "Please let me get back? I'm already in enough trouble as it is."

"Fine, Moose. Get back to your job. But I'm gonna be here for when your shift ends and we're going to have a little sit down for chat. Got me?"

"Fine, Crowley. Why you care, I don't know, but fine. I finish at eight," Sam told him, and then shook his hand free and walked away before Crowley could find another reason to delay him. As he was walking away, Sam somehow managed to resist the stupid smile that wanted to escape, but couldn't quite ignore the fluttering in his stomach.

It wasn't like the other man had said it was a date, so really Sam was being quite ridiculous about the whole thing and it made Sam consider that Dean had possibly had a point all the times he'd claimed Sam was actually a girl.

* * *

The last three hours of Sam's shift really couldn't have gone slower. Sam was jittery, more spastic than he normally was, which resulted in him nearly bowling over a little old lady in the romance section, and was steadily becoming a danger to society if you believed Smythe. And he didn't even know why, or at least, he didn't know why in a way that he would be willing to admit. Other than Crowley had always made Sam feel a little on edge and had this auror of danger about him. Not in the James Bond way - though the accent possibly could have helped that - but more a Jack the Ripper kind of way and well, Sam had threatened the man, so as much as he liked Crowley, Sam was also aware that this meeting could actually be Crowley's way to get Sam back for almost creasing his suit and murdering him.

So Sam was a little nervous. And anxious. And also excitable. Which made him wonder if he wasn't a touch bipolar. If he was, he'd be blaming Brady for that completely.

By the end of his shift, there wasn't anyone around that wasn't grateful for Sam to leave the small shop. Such a clumsy large man in a small area was a dangerous thing at the best of times, when he was excitable and prone to flailing, then it was verging on lethal for all around. When he was told he could leave, Sam nearly shot out of the door and therefore nearly took out Crowley, who seemed to be heading towards the shop for some reason.

"Crowley! Um… hi?"

"Moose. Was just checking to see that you hadn't lied and would indeed be leaving at the time you said you would. Makes me glad that you didn't lie," Crowley added with a smirk.

"Why would I lie about that?" Sam asked, honestly confused about that. Because who did that? Who?

"Sometimes, Moose—"

"Sam."

"Moose, sometimes you amaze me at just how naive you are. Now, come on, let's go get some tea and have our little chat, yeah?" Crowley said, not really waiting for Sam's answer as he spun on his heel and walked away towards the cafe Sam went to fairly often.

"Okay, um… but can we not spend too long chatting? I really need to study for my finals. They kinda start on Monday and well… I don't really think I'm all that prepared for them. So yeah, I need to study."

"Where you doin' this studying?" Crowley asked him as he led Sam to a table out of the way in the corner, and waved over one of the waiters. "Tea for me, he'll have one of those chocolate filled coffee things."

"I can't afford it."

"I'm paying. Now, where are you studying?" Crowley asked him once more and Sam sighed and looked at the table, making invisible patterns on it with his fingers.

"The library. It's open until midnight normally, but with finals approaching, it stays open until about two am. So I'll be staying there until it closes," Sam said with a small shrug, still not actually looking up to see how Crowley was looking at him.

"Right. And then you'll be going to your room and sleepin' I take it? Coz you're beginning to look like you might drop if you don't get any sleep soon." Sam shrugged again and slumped a little more in his chair.

"Well, yeah. Maybe."

"Maybe? You either are, or you're not, Kid."

"I dunno which I dislike more, Moose or Kid," Sam mused, then had the good sense to look sheepish when Crowley just raised an eyebrow and looked decidedly unimpressed.

"Don't change the subject."

"Fine, fine. Sometimes my roommate, Brady, well he tends to er… sometimes he likes to keep company? In our room? So um… well I can't go in if that's the case," Sam admitted, forcing a smile in an attempt to take away the crappiness of what he'd admitted.

"Where'd you go if he does that? You stay with another friend, right?" Sam blushed and shook his head, mumbling under his breath and silently praying for their drinks to arrive so at least he had something to hide behind. "Didn't hear that, Sam."

Sam jerked in his seat and stared at Crowley in shock at the use of his real name as opposed to some demeaning nickname. It didn't happen often, if at all, so Sam felt well within his rights to be shocked.

"Well?"

"Fine, I don't really have any other friends. So I stay on the couch in the student common area. Sometimes I can sleep, but most of the time I just study more," Sam finally admitted, ducking his head in embarrassment at admitting he had no friends.

"So your roommate kicks you out and you have to sleep on a couch? And this is accepted?"

"Well, not really. I mean, we're not really supposed to sleep in the common areas, but most of the time it's over-looked if someone catches us."

"Right. And you're living on whatever sleep you can get whilst also tryin' to study for these exams you've got coming up and also holding a job. How's that goin' for ya?" Crowley asked him, and Sam shrugged, before sending the waiter a grateful look when he finally came over with their drinks. As soon as it was placed in front of him, Sam grabbed it and proceeded to hide behind it.

"I have no other options, alright? Like I said, I don't have friends. I don't find it easy to speak to people in my classes because they all just seem so… annoying and look at me like I'm a freak, which I probably am, but still, it's annoying. So yeah, no friends, no options. But it's fine. I can deal with it. And in like, twelve days, Brady's gonna be going home for Christmas, so I'll be able to catch up on my sleep then."

"I could sort out your roommate issues for you, if you want," Crowley suggested casually. Sam gaped at him and then promptly choked on the mouthful of coffee he'd forgotten he'd taken in his shock. After spluttering and finally catching his breath once more, Sam returned to gaping at Crowley.

"I don't even want to know how you'd go about that. So no, I'm fine. Really. I appreciate the concern and all, but really, there's nothing to do about it," Sam told Crowley, really hoping that he wouldn't be told about Brady's sudden, yet tragic death in the coming days. Because Sam kinda sucked at not looking guilty.

"Well, don't say I never offered," Crowley muttered and Sam nodded, and somehow managed to withhold the relieved sigh that wanted to escape.

"Yeah, thanks for the offer but… I'm fine with how things are, okay?"

"You're clearly not. And I'm going to do something that will probably seem completely stupid, and that's trust you. So, I'm gonna give you my address and you have an open invitation to go over there whenever your current living situation gets a bit too much. You just have to be able to put up with the other occupant of the house. Who's insane, but hardly ever there. His job takes him all over," Crowley told him with a small negligent wave of his hand and seemingly ignoring Sam's look of confused shock.

"Um… why would you do that?"

* * *

Crowley had no idea why he'd just basically offered Sam 'I'm Lucifer's Vessel' Winchester - and yes, Loki had cheerfully informed him that the Moose who also went as Sam, was in fact Sam Winchester and then let him know that he would soon have s housemate as Loki really didn't want to miss any of the fun that could come of a demon befriending a Winchester - free reign to his house. It meant that Crowley was going to have to actually move stuff around so that Sam didn't get suspicious if he did indeed take Crowley up on his offer. And most baffling of all, Crowley sort of hoped he would. Which was strange and weird and all other words that meant 'not right'.

"I don't know, Moose, but I'm finding myself uncomfortably attached to you and finding out you'd died because of starvation and lack of sleep would be somewhat upsetting. And I dislike feeling upset. So take the offer, Moose. Plus, you pass and then you'll become a top lawyer and hopefully remember how I helped you get there and pay me back with free legal advice."

"I can start now, don't invite underage men into your home?" Sam suggested and Crowley blinked in shock and then burst into laughter.

"See, Moose! This is why I like you. And you ain't underage for everything," Crowley told him with a leer, the leer turning into a smirk when Sam stared at him and then went bright red.

"Oh! Um… yes, that's er… I… I don't know how to answer that…" Sam mumbled, and Crowley decided to give the kid a break and move the subject along a little.

"Never mind, still the offers there, Kid and my door's always open. Even if I'm not in, which probably ain't generally advised, but there isn't many that'd stupid enough to rob me," Crowley told him, and smirked when Sam took that in a completely innocent sense. Or at least, innocent in the way that Sam was probably starting to wonder if Crowley was an Eastend Mob Boss. Which had only been a part of his life in the sixties, it got boring after a little while. Plus the Kray's totally took his thunder.

Though he'd been told that things had really gone downhill since old Reggie had died.

"Fine… but only if I get desperate, okay? I don't really feel comfortable taking advantage like this…" Sam muttered finally taking the small card Crowley offered him. Crowley restrained himself from saying another about it actually being him taking advantage of Sam, he didn't think it was really healthy to blush as much as the Moose did.

"Think nothing of it. Like I said, you can pay me back with free legal advice down the road. I'm sure to need it," Crowley added, pretty sure that he'd finalised Sam's decision about his career, but feeling it was all worth it just for the tiny smile Sam gave him. Which really was disturbing, because Crowley didn't do the lovey dovey crap. It wasn't him.

Though he knew if anyone would make that change, it was going to be the overly large (and clumsy) kid in front of him. Really it was probably time Crowley just gave in to the immoveable force that was Sam Winchester.

* * *

He'd promised himself that he wasn't going to take Crowley up on his offer, not only because it was a little weird just letting himself into the man's house when he didn't really know anything about him, but also because… well, no. Sam's only reasoning for not taking Crowley's offer was because it was a little weird letting himself into the house of a man that he didn't really know anything about.

The point was that Sam hadn't wanted to do it, but well Brady had somehow found either the same insane woman or several different insane women to take back to their room over the past eight days and so Sam had found himself sexiled for over a week and having nearly finished his finals, but still having one left and sadly that one, as is the case, being the most difficult one, Sam decided to bite the bullet and go over to Crowley's house.

Now, standing at the end of the path and staring up at the somewhat fancy looking house, Sam wasn't sure if this was the best idea, or in fact if he was hoping for Crowley to be in or not. The only thing he really knew was that he couldn't remember the last time he'd actually slept for longer than an hour at a time and in an actual bed - not that he was presuming he could sleep at Crowley's or in a bed - and that he really needed to study for his last exam. Or he'd fail. And if he failed, he'd finally snap and murder Brady.

Not necessarily a bad thing but in the long run it would probably harm his chances of ever becoming a lawyer. Which _was_ a bad thing.

Deciding that he really needed to man up and and just go into the house before he passed out and just fell asleep on the man's lawn, Sam took a deep breath and walked up the path, then froze when he reached the door. In all the thinking - over thinking - he'd done about this, one thing he hadn't considered. _Did he knock or not?!_

After flailing around for a good minute, Sam finally decided that the polite thing to do would really be ring the bell and then wait for someone to answer - which admittedly brought on a whole new panic attack of just _how long_ he should wait. Of course, in the end none of this really mattered as when he'd finally decided to just ring the damn bell and then wait as long as he felt looked normal before Crowley's neighbours reported him for loitering, the door was flung open and Sam shrieked - a manly shriek though - possibly startling Crowley, though he hid it well with his amusement. Bastard.

"I decided to put you out of your misery and let you in before you possibly had a mental breakdown on my lawn. I pay a lot for that lawn to look that green. Can't have your moose-self ruining it now, can we? So you gonna come in, or you happy just gawpin' at me?" Crowley asked, stepping aside to allow for Sam to enter the house. Sam blushed a little and then finally got his composure back and hitched his bag up his shoulder before he entered Crowley's house.

And promptly stopped and gaped at how well furnished and decorated it was. Clearly Crowley was a very well paid man and this really didn't go towards making Sam disbelieve his little theory about the man being part of the British organised crime circuit. Which, if true, would also possibly put a crimper in Sam's plans to be a lawyer. _Or_ he could become a very well paid lawyer for the British gangsters.

Sam's imagination was possibly going to get him into trouble one day.

"Finished having a good nosey about my house?" Sam jumped a little when Crowley stood next to him, smirking up at him in that infuriating way of his.

"Sorry! And um… sorry about just dropping by like this, I just… I have this huge exam tomorrow and well… Brady - my roommate - has decided to sleep his way through most of the female population and party his way through finals. So… see, it's just my last exam, then I'm good! Plus, Brady will be going home in three days! So really, I just have to last until then, then I can catch up on my sleep. Can I just… study for a little bit over here? The librarian kicked me out… she said I needed to sleep more than I needed to study. Which is complete rubbish, but well, she's kinda scary for a five foot nothing woman," Sam finally added with a sheepish shrug and then gave a jaw popping yawn that made Crowley scowl at him.

"Right, and how long ago was it that you slept? And by sleep, I mean more than a couple of hours on a shared sofa," Crowley added, not for the first time making Sam wonder if he was a mind-reader or something.

"I dunno… eight days ago? Maybe nine. I don't think it's been more than nine days," Sam added hastily when it looked like Crowley might actually rip his throat out or something. Or Brady's.

"Nine days? Right. When's this exam of yours?" Crowley asked him, still not looking entirely too impressed with what he was hearing and making Sam increasingly nervous and start to regret coming here.

"Um… tomorrow afternoon. Starts at two." Crowley narrowed his eyes at him, making Sam hunch his shoulders a little and forcefully stifle the yawn that wanted to escape.

"Right, so you've got plenty of time to get a few hours sleep. I'll wake you up in say four hours, then you can study until I make you go back to bed. You can sleep in Gabe's room."

"Gabe?" Sam asked, too tired to really argue with Crowley's plan and therefore placidly following the man through the corridor that led to the bedrooms.

"Gabriel Laufeyssen. He's the other owner of this house. Though he's not here all that often and isn't here at the moment either. So I don't think he'd mind you sleeping in his bed. Not that I think he'd mind if he was here either," Crowley added as an after thought, frowning a little at it and then smirking when he noticed just how red Sam was. Because really, Sam was wishing the ground would swallow him up a little.

"If you don't think he'll mind…" Sam muttered when Crowley stopped at a door and motioned for Sam to enter the room.

"I'm almost positive the little letch won't mind you sleeping in his bed. And he won't be back for at least a week, so you're safe from being molested in your sleep. Not that I'd really let him anyway. So why don't you get yourself settled in and I'll wake you in four hours," Crowley suggested, following Sam into the brightly decorated room and sneering at the colour scheme. Which amused Sam to no end.

"He's kinda… colourful," Sam mentioned, grinning as he dropped his bag by the bed and sat down on the orange bed spread, grinning up at Crowley's unimpressed expression.

"You could say that. You could also say that he's insane. Both would be true," Crowley muttered, rolling his eyes when he knocked over a bowl and a bag of Jolly Ranchers fell out. "He's also a menace. Now, Moose, get some sleep."

"Promise to wake me up. I really need to study for this exam," Sam muttered, pulling back the covers and snickering a little at the lime green sheets underneath it and the purple pillow cases. "It's like a bad acid trip in this room."

"And I'd imagine you, speaking as a student, are also speaking from experience, are you?" Crowley muttered with a snort, shaking his head when Sam shot him a wounded puppy look.

"No. Just… what I'd imagine a bad acid trip would be like. So… four hours? You promise?" Sam asked him through a yawn as he kicked off his shoes and climbed into the bed.

"Four hours. Promise. Next time you come over here, remember to bring something to sleep in as well," Crowley muttered, before he left to room, closing the door behind him.

Sam snuggled down into the surprisingly comfortable bed, which even more surprisingly was large enough to give him room to stretch out, and then snickered a little when he breathed in and smelt pear drops. He was pretty certain that if he ever got to meet Crowley's housemate, that he'd definitely be amused by the man at the very least. Actually, Sam really hoped that he got to meet the man one day as he felt he would probably soon need the laughs that the man was bound to bring.

With that thought, Sam gave another yawn and finally gave into sleep, getting possibly the best sleep he'd had since he'd left Dean and his dad behind to go to Stanford. He wondered, after he had indeed been woken four hours later, if he could place all the thanks with Crowley for that. And just how often he could realistically come over here to sleep in possibly the comfiest bed known to man.

If man ignored the psychedelic colours.


	4. Year 1, Part 4

Part Four

Sam, somehow, managed to pass his first set of finals and was surprised to find Crowley waiting for him at the bookshop when he got there on the day he'd received his results. He was more surprised just because he'd thought the man would want a small break from Sam given Sam had spent a majority of the Christmas break at Crowley's house - though had still yet to meet the elusive Gabriel, much to Sam's disappointment. So he had honestly not actually expected to see the man for a good week at least after Sam had finally left Crowley's house and gone back to halls. Begrudgingly.

"Um… Hi?" Sam asked as opposed to greeted, stepping around Crowley to get into the shop and waving absently to Emily. He mentally snickered when she gave a small whimper at the sight of him. Clearly she still hadn't quite forgiven him for the whole Bible debacle.

"Thought I'd come see how you did with those exam things. Given you have yet to throw yourself in front of a fast moving vehicle, I'm going to guess that you didn't fail," Crowley drawled as he followed Sam into the shop, clearly not even bothering to hide his amusement at Emily's fear of him given he smirked at the poor girl and made her squeak when he waved his fingers at him.

"I didn't fail, no. I passed and actually didn't do too bad!" Sam told him, smiling widely and pausing at the staff door, needing to go through it, but not quite wanting to until Crowley had actually told him the real reason he was there, because Sam refused to accept that the man was actually there to see if he'd passed his exams.

"Ah, good. That means my plans to take you out and celebrate, and get you illegally very very drunk aren't gonna fall flat on their face. Of course, I had decided that had you failed miserably that I'd get you shitfaced in commiseration or something," Crowley drawled, smirking that ever-present smirk of his that Sam was starting to find himself more and more attracted to.

"Shit…faced…?" Sam asked tentatively, not entirely sure he wanted to know.

"Drunk, ratarsed, paralytic, squiffy, pissed, take your pick, that's what you're gonna be tonight. So what time will you be leaving this delightful place? Same time as usual?"

"Um… yeah… er… Crowley? I don't… I don't really look twenty-one. At all. Despite the height. I've never been served in my life, even with the fake ID my brother got me," Sam admitted, looking a little sheepish and feeling a rising sense of wary alarm at the smug look on Crowley's face.

"No need to worry about that. I know a place that even a baby-faced kid like you will get served. No, you just carry on working and surviving another shift with the freaky Bible-Basher over there. She admitted that she wants to marry Jesus yet? She does know he's dead, right?" Crowley added in a loud whisper, chuckling evilly when they heard Emily give a mournful squeak. Sam just rolled his eyes and then shook his head, shoving at Crowley's shoulder playfully.

"I need to start my shift, Crowley. I guess I'll meet you outside here at eight?" Sam asked, pushing the door open a touch and then looking at Crowley expectantly.

"Eight, see you outside. Don't worry about having to dress up or anything like that. It really isn't the kind of place to dress up at," Crowley told him and Sam snickered as he shook his head.

"I don't think I was really expecting it to be from what little you've told me about the place. In fact, it sounds like the kind of place most parents would warn their kids against."

"Most parents… but not yours?"

"Not mine. See you at eight!" Sam told him with a bright smile, and then finally pushed his way into the staff area, not looking back to see what kind of face Crowley was pulling at his back. Knowing the man as he did, it wasn't exactly going to be nice. Chuckling to himself, Sam went to clock in for his shift and considered that his good mood might not even be dented by Jesus' future wife.

* * *

At ten minutes past eight - Emily's incessant whining and bitching having made them a bit behind in cashing up - Sam walked out of the shop and smiled brightly when he saw Crowley leaning against the wall waiting patiently - for him - for Sam to finish.

"Hey! Sorry to keep you waiting. Had a brief moment of hysteria when Emily found some one had written 'God is amongst us' on a dollar bill. And then had to calm her down and explain that no one had bought anything with anything higher than a twenty dollar bill anyway, so it wouldn't have been found if it had been written on a hundred dollar bill as that sort of news obviously deserved. So yeah, sorry. Now can I get really really drunk?" Sam asked him with a wide smile which was possibly a little more forced than it would have been had Sam not had to live through the last fifteen minutes.

"Sounds like you need it. Come on then, we can walk there, shouldn't take too long. You got any classes in the morning?"

"Yeah, starts at ten."

"You're gonna hate me tomorrow then. Off we go! Be prepared to try some of the most disgusting things you've ever tasted but will soon forget about," Crowley warned him, and Sam felt a shiver of foreboding go down his spine before he nodded warily and followed Crowley towards his doom - or possibly his admittance into the hazy world of alcoholism.

* * *

Crowley was right. Sam hated him. He couldn't quite remember the actual reasons for his hatred of Crowley except for the worst headache he'd ever had - and that included the time he'd been thrown headfirst into a wall by a pissed off poltergeist - and he now had to sit through two hours of tax law. Or pre law. Sam couldn't remember and it hurt to try. Whatever it was, it hurt.

Most worryingly, Sam had no recollection of anything that happened the night before after his first - acid green - drink and Crowley telling him something about meeting the fairies. That should possibly have given Sam a hint that he didn't want to drink whatever Crowley kept putting in front of him. Apparently though he didn't do that and now was living to regret it.

He was also possibly still a little drunk as through the pained groans Sam still managed to giggle when he walked into the same door three times and then finally managed to stumble into a free seat in the lecture theatre. He maybe also smelt like a brewery, but as well as his common sense and the feeling in his fingers, Sam had seemingly also lost his sense of smell.

Sam actually wanted to cry a little. He hurt that much. And maybe throw up, but the lecturer for this particular class looked quite mean and unsympathetic even if a student is clearly in pain and possibly dying. Whimpering a little when said lecturer slammed a text down on the table in front of him before moving on to the next student to abuse, Sam reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone to send Crowley a text.

_I hate you._

His phone buzzed at him second later with Crowley's response, which made his stomach flip uncomfortably, though that could have been the night before making another appearance. Sam only just managed to not run from the room to throw up. Though he wasn't placing any bets on him not doing it at any point in the next two hours.

_Love you too, Pumpkin! Feeling alright?_

_Really, really hate you. Hope you rot in Hell._

_Been there, done that. Should you be learning how to talk me out of going back?_ Sam, quite honestly, had no idea how to take that text, but the annoying Limey had a point, so Sam shoved his phone back into his pocket and then concentrated on trying to take notes - and hold the pencil in the first place, if he was honest. The feeling still hadn't quite returned to his fingers.

Sam gave a muffled groan when, a good thirty minutes later, the girl next to him poked his ribs, giggling quietly at Sam's reaction. He moved his head to look at her and see what she wanted, even though that alone made him feel like his eyeballs had just exploded in his sockets.

"Hey, you alright?" She whispered when she saw that Sam clearly wasn't going to say anything to her and was quite content in just looking at her questioningly. Sam was a little baffled, however, when after asking if he was alright, she promptly smacked him in the face with a lock of her hair. "Sorry!"

"Ow. And I'm dying. Slowly. Don't drink green drinks that evil, evil men offer you with wicked smirks on their faces. Don't do it. You'll regret it. You won't remember fully what you did the night before and you'll wake up with someone tap dancing on your skull and possibly a tiny dead animal on your tongue," Sam muttered, shifting back to look towards the front so that the professor didn't pick up on the fact that they weren't listening.

"You're hungover?" She whispered to him and really, there was possibly an even better reason that Sam didn't have any friends at the college, and that's because he made absolutely no effort with them and couldn't get why most people thought the best time to get to know someone was either just before you jumped into bed with them or in the middle of class. It was weird and just plain annoying.

"Sure. Look, um… did you need something? Or were you just genuinely interested in my health?" Sam asked, trying not to sound snappish or rude, but given the way he felt at the moment, he wasn't sure it worked.

"Oh, um… I was just gonna see if you wanted to join me and a few of my friends for coffee after this class? If you're free," she said, quickly looking down and taking notes when the professors gaze strayed in their direction. Sam however, just blinked down at his notebook and wondered why she would be asking him that. He hadn't exactly given off a friendly, approachable aura.

"Er… I'm kinda busy, sorry. Maybe next time though?" Sam suggested, not that he really had any intention of following up on that. He'd found that, with his job, classes and Crowley, Sam didn't really have to time to actively make new friends and do all that stuff that went with having friends, like having a life. And he didn't really mind, either. Crowley was more than enough friendship for him. Given how he was currently feeling after one night of that friendship, he wasn't too sure he'd survive having more friends.

Still, the girl - who hadn't actually given Sam her name, which suggested to Sam that she wasn't all too invested in this friendship malarky anyways - gave him a bright smile and nodded her head, like Sam had just given his word that, after today, he would spend the rest of his life following her around and having coffee after class.

Which he hadn't. And he definitely wouldn't.

Sam just gave a weak smile back and then returned to listening to the professor drivel on about taxes and other thrilling exciting things, and decided to spend the rest of the class convincing his stomach not to rebel on him and at least last until he could get to his room and pass out there. He didn't have another class that day, it'd be fine as long as he was awake in time for work at four.

He could work that. If his body would just cooperate with him a little and let him go through with this plan. It'd work. And maybe, just maybe, the next time he was in this class - which he really needed to check because he had no idea if it was a twice a week class or a once a week class - he'd be feeling more alive and would be more willing to make more friends.

Possibly.

Baby steps.

* * *

So Sam was starting to himself in a bit of an awkward position the more he hung around with Crowley, because since admitting - sort of - to himself that he possibly found the older man attractive, he hadn't been able to escape the thought and it was starting to drive him a little bit insane. Not that he was completely sane to start with mind. He _was_ willingly friends with Crowley after all.

But this attraction of his, which couldn't go anywhere because Sam was insane, not delusional, was actually making him even more scatty, spastic and stuttery. Which really was saying something.

It had gotten to the point where even Janey - the girl in his tax law class had _finally_ introduced herself and Sam had then felt that he probably had to go have a coffee with her at least once. Turns out she was quite funny and got Sam's odd sense of humour - had started to notice that something might be wrong and had finally cornered him in the library.

Which was unfair because that was the one place - until now - where Sam had alone. Where no one else - Janey, Brady or Crowley - could bother him and he could flail, spaz out or just generally act like an utter moron with no sense of spacial awareness or coordination skills without witnesses.

"You know what finally clued me in that something might be wrong?" Janey asked as she took a seat and pinned Sam to his with a glare that Sam had realised only women can achieve. It was the one that said 'I know at least ten ways to castrate you with one six inch heeled shoe'. And made most men's balls want to hide in their bodies.

Well, Sam's did at least. But his lifestyle had given him a more than acute sense of self preservation. In some situations.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm fine. Nothing's wrong. Now go away and let me study," Sam muttered, steadfastly staring down at his book.

"Mope you mean. Anyway, in answer to my question, it was when you nearly smacked Professor Wilson in the face with your paper and didn't actually notice. Though to be fair, the amusement from witnessing Wilson's stunned expression as you then walked into the doorframe before bouncing off it out of the room was brilliant. Made my year."

"It's March," Sam pointed out dryly, trying his hardest to stop the blush on his face. No wonder Wilson hated him if Sam accosted the poor guy in their last lecture.

"Just gives you more time to make this year even more spectacular with your clumsy, slightly awkward ways. And I did mean the academic year, not the… year year," Janey added, wrinkling her nose a little when Sam snorted.

"Awesome, glad to be of service."

"So! Going to share what's up, or do we all just live in fear that one day you kill someone accidentally when you flail and smack them down some stairs or something?" Janey asked him, leaning forward to rest her chin on her arms and looking at Sam with wide, unblinking eyes that were a little unnerving. She smirked when Sam fidgeted and she clearly realised that Sam was cornered. And Sam mentally cursed his inability to lie convincingly.

"I'm not that bad," Sam defended himself sullenly. And internally cringed. He should possibly reconsider the whole lawyer thing if that was how he defended himself.

"Sure you are. So spill already before I take out the big guns." Sam, quite honestly, wanted to carry on denying anything was wrong just to find out what the hell the 'big guns' were. But at the same time, maybe talking about his slight problem would help him a little.

Giving a huge sigh, Sam shrugged and then groaned and let his head drop down onto his book heavily. He steadfastly ignored the snickering coming from Janey.

"Fine. I'm… well, I have this stupid… crush on someone I know and well, it sucks because I have no chance with them," Sam grumbled into the book, before heaving another huge sigh and looked up to see Janey looking at him with a strange expression on her face.

"Um… this friend… it's not… it's not me, is it?" Janey asked him, obviously making a concerted effort to not sound disgusted or… actually, Sam wasn't sure how else she'd feel and he was pretty certain that had it been her, he'd currently be a little hurt. As it was, Sam had to hold back the loud laugh that wanted to escape.

"Er… no. It's a guy and you've never met him as far as I know."

"You're gay?" Janey asked him incredulously, and Sam felt his face inflame once more as he tried to shrink in his seat.

"Apparently? Look, not my issue. Gay, not gay, the point is, I have this stupid crush on one of my only friends here and I don't have a chance with the guy and it sucks and is also, according to you, making me even more clumsy and… flaily."

"How'd you know you don't have a chance? Is he straight? Taken?" Janey asked him and Sam shrugged, then huffed and ran his hand through his hair in agitation.

"Dunno if he's straight or not, but if I had to guess, I'd say not. And well, he's definitely not taken. But it's not really that that tells me I don't have a chance. It's more… well, he's older… And more sophisticated. And just… I'm Sam. The dorky, friendless loser who threatened him with a Bible," Sam said in defeat, slumping back in his chair and only looking up when Janey's attempts to muffle her giggles failed. "It's not funny!"

"It kinda is, Sam. You threatened him with a Bible? Why?!" Janey asked before breaking down into giggles once more. Sam actually had to wait for her to calm down a little before he actually replied.

"He kept moving them into the Fantasy section! I was going to lose my job! It was clearly self-defence!" Sam exclaimed in a hissed whisper, glaring when this just made Janey's giggle even harder.

"Oh that's brilliant! Genius! Can I meet him? Please! He sounds hilarious!"

"No. You both suck."

"You wish he did," Janey said slyly, grinning widely when Sam gaped at her and then blushed furiously and hid his face behind his hair.

"Shut up. You're not helping!"

"Sorry, sorry. Fine, so you like an older guy. Sam, if he hasn't dropped your friendship by now, then clearly he's invested in it. So how do you honestly know he's not interested unless you ask him?"

"If I ask him and he's not, I've lose his friendship! I can't do that! I practically live with the guy given Brady's shocking propensity to sexile me!" Sam hissed at her, glaring when she just raised an eyebrow at him. She huffed and glared when he clearly wasn't getting what she was trying to tell him.

"You sleep at his house? He has no problem with this? And I know of Brady, so it's damn often. Seriously? And you think this guy doesn't like you? Wow, you really are oblivious to the world around you, aren't you. It's a wonder you've ever gotten laid," Janey muttered, eyebrow raising when Sam blushed and then rubbed the back of his neck, refusing to meet her eyes. He wished he could die the moment she gave a small gasp.

"Don't say it."

"Oh my god! You're a virgin? How?! Look at you? You're adorably hot! Who wouldn't tap that?"

"Apparently you if your horror when you thought I had a crush on you was anything to go buy," Sam told her dryly, and Janey at least had the decency to blush bright red.

"Well, okay, fine. But seriously?"

"Yes, fine, seriously. Now shut up and can we please change the subject?"

"No way! Well, I mean, we can step away from the topic of your um… sexual status but… Sam, you have to tell this guy how you feel or, no kidding here, you might actually kill someone with your clumsy ways," Janey told him bluntly, Sam blushed as he looked away from her and back down to his texts.

"Maybe."

"Fine, I'm not gonna push you. So want to go for some coffee? I could do with a caffeine hit," Janey said with a wide smile, getting a slightly smaller one from Sam as he nodded his agreement.

"Yeah, sure. I think my eyeballs might melt if I study much longer," Sam admitted, and then gave a small groan as he stood up. Janey smirked at him and then walked out of his little hideaway, making Sam automatically suspicious once more. Really, why had he decided to make friends again? Nothing but trouble.

* * *

For some reason Sam decided that Janey probably had a point with the whole Crowley thing and that he should possibly consider talking to the man about it. The worst that could happen would be Crowley laughing in his face and Sam losing his friendship, which yes, would totally suck but not really the end of the world.

Of course, the main reason that Sam started to concede to Janey's point was that in the last week since being cornered by her, Sam had managed to smack two of his professors in the face with his flailing, fall on top of possibly the tiniest girl on his corridor, punch Brady in the chest - not the worst thing he could do - assault a man asking for the latest Pratchett novel, pull down the Harlequin book rack and finally, the day before, he accidentally walked into the door just as Dionne was approaching on the other side of it, thus knocking the door into her and knocking her out. The last one was probably the thing that finally made Sam own up that he might have a bit of an issue right now.

He was also eternally thankful that this had never happened to him when he was hunting with his brother and father, or else he might have been killed years ago. He doubted he'd have all his limbs attached at least.

So now here Sam was, fidgeting as he stood on the doorstep, waiting for Crowley to answer the door, though why Sam hadn't let himself in, he had no idea. Probably because of what he was here to own up to.

He was therefore, a little surprised when Crowley wasn't the one to answer the door. It was a really quite short - well, compared to Sam most people hit that mark - auburn haired man with a wide grin on his face as he looked Sam up and down.

"Well, well, well, and just who are you? Crowley? Have you been holding back? Getting young jailbait boys coming to your house at random times? I'm shocked! You could have at leas waited for me to joi-ack!" The man, who Sam assumed was the elusive Gabriel, was interrupted when Crowley grabbed the back of his shirt and yanked him back hard. He then shoved the man out of the way and looked at Sam, eyebrow raising in a silent question.

"Hi! Um… just…" And Sam's determination to just tell Crowley about his feelings died like he'd just salt and burned it. Sam slumped and sighed, "I can leave if it's not a good time, I was just bored. Got a day off but no studying I need to do so yeah… Sorry."

"Come in, Moose. About time you met Gabriel anyway. Work on getting you desensitised to the idiot," Crowley muttered, leading Sam into the house and through to the front room, where Gabriel was sitting, supposedly watching TV but probably paying more attention to Sam and Crowley. Or at least, Sam suspected so.

"Um… hi, I'm Sam," Sam said with a small wave, wishing he could hide behind Crowley when Gabriel decided to cut the pretence of not paying attention and stared at Sam with wide, curious eyes and a huge grin. Crowley just huffed and probably rolled his eyes, before walking over and hitting Gabriel over the back of the head and pointing Sam towards his usual chair.

And yes, he had a usual chair. What of it? It was comfy and Sam felt like he could probably sleep in it if he thought Crowley would actually let him.

"So this is Sam! Sammy, Sam Sam Sammich, _the_ Sam, Sammoth the Mammoth, Sasquatch-"

"Shut it, Trickster." Sam snickered, then regretted it immediately when Gabriel's attention was dragged straight back to him. Though from the little he's known of Gabriel, Crowley's nickname of him seems rather apt.

"Fine, fine, so you're Sam. I've heard… well actually I've heard absolutely nothing about you, so do share! We have all the time in the world!" Gabriel said, with a wide smirk that made a shiver of fear run down Sam's spine. He glanced at Crowley and just got an exasperated shake of the head.

"I'll get us some tea then, shall I? Well, I'll get us all a hot drink and for my peace of mind, I'll pretend we're all civilised and drinking tea," Crowley said with a sneer, walking into the kitchen as he muttered under his breath about yanks and no taste. Really, Sam figured the man should probably let go of some stereotypes, though he'd never actually tell him that to his face.

"How'd you get old grumpy boots to actually like you? I live with the guy and he only tolerates me," Gabriel said, looking genuinely intrigued to the answer and shuffling across the couch to sit nearer to Sam.

"Um… I think he only tolerates me as well," Sam pointed out, smiling weakly and getting a loud laugh out of Gabriel - who was possibly the least angelic person Sam had ever met now that he was thinking about it.

"You think he only tolerates you? Kid, he likes you. Actually, it's a little scary. Doubt there's anyone around that'd ever get away with hurting you though, so there is that. Well, enough about Crowley though, what about you? I wasn't lying, Crowley really needs to learn the finer things points of gossip," Gabriel said, grinning widely when Sam couldn't help but chuckle, because the man really did have a point.

"I'm… I'm a student here and erm… I met Crowley at work? Where I work at least… I don't really know where Crowley works… haven't actually asked. I kinda positive that he's part of some sort of London crime gang…" Sam added under his breath, and promptly blushed bright red when Crowley placed a mug of coffee in front of him and looked at him with a raised eyebrow, amusement in his eyes.

"Part of the crime scene, eh? Well, don't wanna be ruining your dreams about me, so I won't deny that. Gabriel, stop brayin', your laugh grates on my nerves," Crowley grumbled, slamming a cup of hot chocolate down in front of Gabriel before walking out and returning moments later with his own cup of tea.

"It was amusing! Come on! You do give off the old 'cross me an' I'll melt your ankulls off wiv a paint strippah an' crush your knackahs wiv this 'ere 'ammah ' vibe," Gabriel said with what Sam could honestly say was the worst London accent he'd ever heard, including the time Dean got hooked on a strange British tv show for a few weeks when they were in a motel that bizarrely got BBC America. That was one time Sam was eager to more on actually.

"Butcher my accent like that again, and I'll do worst than melt your ankles and crush your knuckles," Crowley warned, though Gabriel just grinned back at him then turned to look at Sam once more.

"So what are you studying, college boy?" Gabriel asked him, and Sam shrugged, looking away and picking up his coffee in a rubbish attempt to hide behind it.

"Pre-law."

"Ooh! Lawyer, huh? Well, Crowley being a mob boss is probably gonna be good for you then! I hear they pay their lawyers really well."

"You heard wrong, one, we have solicitors and two, be threaten 'em into helping us," Crowley said, smirking as he took a sip of tea whilst Gabriel and Sam just blinked at him.

"Well, guess that saves money. Sucks to be you though, Samsquatch." Sam winced at the nickname, unable to stop his nose from wrinkling and making Crowley chuckle. "Don't like Samsquatch then, huh?"

"Makes me sound like a squash," Sam told him, once more wrinkling his nose before taking a sip of coffee.

"Huh… I was aiming for Sasquatch, but you're right. Ooh! We can make Samsquatch pie!"

"I'm a little uncomfortable with this conversation," Sam admitted quietly from behind his coffee mug, which given it's size, was doing a very inadequate job of hiding him.

"Gabriel, shut up. So, Moose, there a real reason you came over here or is your housemate shagging yet another unsuspecting female?" Crowley asked, ignoring Gabriel's huff of annoyance and looking at Sam instead. Which, of course, meant Sam's face pretty much set itself on fire with the force of his blush.

"See, that's an interesting reaction right there. Now I'm really interested in finding out why you came to see old Grumpy Boots here. Do share!" Gabriel exclaimed with a wicked smirk on his face. Sam just shrank back in his chair a little and cursed Janey for putting the damn idea into his head in the first place. And his timing. That pretty much sucked as well.

"No! No, honest! Well, alright, so to be fair, Brady probably is working his way towards getting a new STD - and did I tell you that I had to go with him to the health clinic the other day because he thought he had pubic lice? Yeah, turns out he actually had crabs. Who'd have thought it? Really, though… I have to live with this guy? I spent a good portion of my spare cash to do all my laundry. Apparently a severe case of crabs is not a reason for a room swap, nor is it something to put women off of the guy. It distresses me a little actually. It's just wrong," Sam muttered, shaking his head and dropping it into his hands. He hadn't intended on distracting them with a change of topic, but if it worked that way, then Sam certainly wasn't going to remind them.

"Your roommate has crabs?" Crowley asked dryly, not sounding all too shocked at all, but given he was quite used to Sam's bitching about the guy by now, it wasn't all too surprising.

"Well, I dunno, I mean how effective if the treatment? I think they should be gone by now, right? Oh god… what if he sleeps in my bed when I'm not there? Can you get crabs like that? Oh god! What if I've got crabs?!" Sam exclaimed, gaze unconsciously shooting to look at his crotch in horror before he looked up when he heard a snicker.

"I think you'd probably know, having little bugs crawling around your balls might be the give away," Gabriel commented lightly, before snickering once more and shaking his head. "Man, I missed out on the whole college thing! I need to sign up!"

"Much as it pains me to say it, Gabriel's right. You'd probably know if you had crabs. So how long you thinking of staying?" Crowley asked him, having apparently, for once, decided not to pick up on the previous subject of why he was really there. Which was surprising really, given that wasn't exactly something Crowley was known to do.

"Um… can I sleep on your sofa? I'd rather just avoid Brady for a little bit if that's alright? I mean, if not, then I can go back and see if he's er… finished. But yeah… I was wondering if the sofa was free…" Sam mumbled, looking at his hands in his lap, before moving to grab his coffee mug once more and looking at that instead.

"Aw, you mean you won't be sleeping in my bed? Now that is a shame," Gabriel announced, and Sam started to worry that all this blushing would soon become detrimental to his health.

"Gabriel, shut up. Moose, you can sleep in my bed. Can't fault you for not wanting to go back to your dorm," Crowley added with a mildly disgusted look on his face. Sam just gaped at him, unsure of what to say.

"With you?" Pretty sure that wasn't what he meant to say, but it did get the message across. Even if Sam now wished he could disappear.

"I promise not to molest you in the night, Moose, but I ain't giving up my bed for you. I don't like you that much," Crowley told him, rolling his eyes when Sam made a strange squeaky noise and Gabriel snickered into his hot chocolate.

"I um… Really? That's um… okay?" Sam was fairly certain that he was never going to tell Janey about this if only because she'd never let it go and also because, if he didn't tell Crowley about his little crush on the man, then Sam would probably accidentally smother himself in the night. Or kill Crowley. Either one would be unfortunate.

And were sadly highly likely.

* * *

Sam vaguely wondered if this was how a victorian bride felt on her wedding night as he lay on the bed with Crowley doing whatever it was he did in the bathroom before bed. Though he imagined that at least in the bride's case, she knew she was gonna get laid and wouldn't get punched/stabbed/knee-capped by admitting she had feelings for her husband.

The case was not the same for Sam. Well, in his mind at least. Sam was admittedly clinging on the shaky hope that maybe Crowley liked him too much to actually kill him. So maybe just severe bodily harm. Maybe Sam could get by with just a small maiming. Alright, maybe not.

"Moose?" Sam felt perfectly justified in the small yelp he gave before falling out of the bed when Crowley sat down on the other side of the bed. Though judging by the amused expression on Crowley's face, the other man possibly felt Sam had overreacted a little.

"Crowley! Hi! Um… sleep, yes? Right. Night?" Sam asked, slowly climbing back onto the bed and quickly covering his legs with the duvet like a startled, blushing virgin.

Which he was, but that wasn't the point. He still looked ridiculous judging by the look on Crowley's face.

"Moose, you feelin' quite alright?" Crowley asked him, actually sounding genuinely concerned, which was normally when Sam felt he should worry about himself and what he'd just done. Because if it made Crowley concerned, then it was very foolish, stupid or strange.

"Me? I'm fine! Completely fine. Why do you ask?" Sam asked, silently wondering if his voice really did sound that high pitched.

"You're twitchier than a whore in confession," Crowley told him dryly, which actually did make Sam stop twitching if only to look at him in confusion.

"Whores go to confession?"

"How the bloody hell am I supposed to know? It's a saying. What I mean is, you're acting even more out of it than normal and I was wondering what's got your knickers in a twist," Crowley grumbled, looking - Sam at least - like he was highly uncomfortable showing concern. Not that he was alone in the discomfort. Sam would be quite willing to forget this whole conversation and just try to go to sleep. "Sam."

"It's nothing! Really! I've just had a couple of things going on in my head and so it's made me a little spacey. Or um… spacier than normal at least," Sam admitted with a shrug, nibbling on his lip as he avoided meeting Crowley's gaze.

"Right. Wanna share with me what it is that you're thinkin' about?"

"Not really?"

"Not the right answer, try again," Crowley told him in a no nonsense tone, and Sam slumped a little in the bed and heaved a sigh, mentally praying that what he was about to admit wouldn't make Crowley cut contact with him.

"See… it's not like important or anything. And well, I'm sure eventually I'll be able to ignore it or something. Maybe I'm just going through this stage or something and it really is nothing. But well, it's not like I can control it and I didn't say anything because I don't want to lose our friendship, it's like the most important thing for me right now. So yeah, I just figured I'd ignore it and it'd go away. But it hasn't yet. And Janey said I should say something before I killed someone accidentally with my spastic ways, but it's hard, you know? So yeah," Sam added with a small sigh, shrugging and playing with the duvet, tangling his fingers in it and avoiding looking up to see Crowley's expression.

"What the bloody fuck did that mean? I got something about our friendship being over because of something you've done. Maybe. I dunno, that was vague at best. Moose, you're gonna have to go into a bit more detail."

"I don't know how without sounding like a prepubescent girl!" Sam admitted in a whine, finally looking up to see that Crowley was looking at him in amusement.

"Try?"

"Fine! I have this stupid crush on you and it won't go away because you're all 'ooh, snark snark' and 'Moose, sneer sneer' and for some reason _that_ turns me on! I mean, I may possibly need some sort of medical help, I don't know! But it's not my fault! It's you! You're just so… so… British!" Sam finally exploded, arms pinwheeling around as he tried to make his point and ignore the look on Crowley's face.

"I'm too British? And because of this, you have a crush on me? I got that right?"

"Pretty much."

"Well… that's… flatterin'. No, wait, that sounds like a shitty answer. Moose, are you even gay?"

"Maybe? Possibly. I mean, I'm fairly certain wanting to jump you on a regular basis makes my card to the straight club become a little suspect, right? So… probably gay. Bi at least. Though… I dunno. Maybe Crowley-sexual. Because I'm not really attracted to any women I've seen… Um…" Sam trailed off, looking up through his fringe to see if Crowley looked like he was about to bash his head in with the bedside lamp. He breathed a tiny sigh of relief when it didn't look like he was. If anything, he looked bemused.

"Well… far be it me to get in the way of your experimentation period of life. You're not exactly hard on the eyes, Kid. So if you wanna find out if your crush on me is just a phase, I'm all up for that. And before you say it, no, it won't ruin our friendship if you decide it really is just a passing curiosity," Crowley added, not for the first time making Sam wonder if the man really could read his mind.

"Oh… so… what now?"

"Now? You stop acting like a victorian virgin and embrace your hormones like any self-respecting teenage male and come over here."

"Now? Really? Like… we're going to have sex now? I mean… not that I'm against sex with you because I'm not but… now? I'm just… I don't… Will we… what… umm… now?" Sam stammered out, though he did do as suggested - told - and moved closer to Crowley, giving a startled yelp when the man then pushed him to lie down and moved to lie over him, smirking down at Sam's startled face.

"Now. And no, we won't go all the way, I don't think you're quite ready for that. Generally speaking, it's probably for the best to work out if you actually are gay before you get someone to shove their cock up your arse. We'll work our way towards that, yeah?" Crowley asked him, smirking when he realised that his words were clearly having an effect on Sam, and really, Sam was beginning to wonder if he was secretly some sort of sexual deviant. Because he was fairly certain Crowley could suggest they do anything right now and Sam would be all up for it.

"Um… work towards… yep. Good. Definitely. Yes! Good!" Sam exclaimed, nodding his head furiously before he Crowley stopped any further rambling by pressing their lips together in a hard, deep kiss, pressing his hips down into Sam's and pushing his tongue into Sam's mouth when he opened with a gasp. Sam's hands scrabbled at Crowley's back before he settled on pressing one into the older man's hair and the other clutching his shoulder.

Sam pulled back moments later, gasping in air and thrusting up into Crowley, hand tightening on his shoulder as Crowley moved to bite and lick at Sam's neck. Sam moaned loudly, then tugged Crowley's hair and pulled him until their lips were touching once more. Sam kissed him deeply, moans and gasps breaking up the kisses as Crowley shifted to lie between Sam's legs, deepening his thrusts and making Sam groan as sparks started to flash behind his eyelids.

Clutching at Crowley's shoulders even tighter, Sam moaned and broke the kiss, throwing his head back and gasping as he felt his climax building. His back practically arched off the bed in pleasure when Crowley shifted once more to bring his hand around Sam's erection and began to bring him to orgasm as he nibbled at the skin behind Sam's neck. A few tugs later and Sam gasped out his orgasm and then slumped into the bed, twitching a little as Crowley thrust into his hip half a dozen more times before he grunted his own climax and then slumped to the side off of Sam.

"That was… awesome," Sam gasped out once he felt he'd be able to speak once more. Crowley chuckled next to him and moved on the bed, getting out seconds later and leaving to go into the en suite, Sam sleepily watched him before his eyes closed sleepily, only the jerk open moments later when Crowley dropped a damp cloth on his stomach. "S'that?"

"Trust me on this, you do not want to wake up with dried come on your stomach. It ain't nice. Now shift over, and we can talk more in the morning if you think you're gonna freak out. Don't do it now, ruins the aftermath of a good orgasm," Crowley mumbled, getting into the bed once more and nudging Sam over a little. Sam just shot him a sleepy smile, wiped at the mess on his stomach - and when did he take his t-shirt off? - Then dropped the cloth over the side of the bed and moved to snuggle into Crowley's side. "Christ, you're a cuddler. Shoulda known. Mention this to anyone and I'll cut your balls off."

"Secrets safe with me. Sleep now," Sam mumbled, nuzzling into Crowley's shoulder a little before finally letting sleep take over, vaguely feeling Crowley chuckle and then pull Sam further into his side.


	5. Year 1, Part 5

Part Five

Sam woke slowly the next morning, which was possibly his minds way of lessening the chance of total freak out. Because, let's face it, Sam was prone to freaking out at the simplest of things. It was one of the reasons Dean declared Sam's OCD was borderline pathological. Then again, Sam didn't even know Dean _knew_ words like pathological, so he took that with a pinch of salt anyway. Still, the next morning, after he and Crowley had… done the deed - which was technically an overwhelming exaggeration given they hadn't - Sam found himself drifting between that state of wakefulness and sleep for longer than normal. Especially for him, who'd been trained to wake at the simplest of things from a very early age, and Sam found that maybe he liked it a little.

Then his slow moving mind picked up on the fact that he was wrapped around something warm and definitely human shaped, and then he froze. Which made the human shaped warm thing he was wrapped around chuckle, in a very familiar way and Sam was caught between relaxing with relief and freezing even more. Which, when put into practice, apparently makes your body appear like you'd just been electrocuted.

"When you've stopped twitchin', you wanna go back to sleep? I'm ain't ready to wake up yet. Unless you've got class," Crowley muttered, nudging Sam to shift over a little. Sam moved as Crowley nudged and blinked open his eyes to look over at the man, nibbling on his lip nervously when he met Crowley's sleepy, disgruntled look.

"It's Sunday."

"Great. Day of rest, innit? Rest." Sam felt his lips twitch slightly at Crowley's sleepy wave at him even as the man himself closed his eyes to try and go back to sleep.

"Crowley…" Sam's amusement only lasted until their state of undress - though Sam breathed a small sigh of relief when he realised he was still wearing his boxers - became clear and Sam began to feel panic rise up in him once again. Crowley sighed loudly and moved to lie on his side, facing Sam.

"This is when you freak out then? I had wondered. Alright, fine. Not like I'm gonna be able to sleep with you panicking next to me. So, what's the problem?" Crowley asked, scrubbing his hand over his face as though to get rid of his fatigue.

"Um… I don't know?" Because, if he was honest, Sam had no idea why he was freaking out beyond the fact that well, he'd slept with Crowley the night before. But technically speaking, wasn't that what he'd wanted anyway and had in fact come over for. Well, not necessarily what actually had happened, but still, he had come over to tell Crowley about his feelings. There was the chance, then, that Sam was freaking out because he had no idea what this meant to Crowley and what the man was thinking.

"Right. Well, when you figure it out, wake me and we can talk then," Crowley muttered, rolling over in the bed and pulling the covers up over his head. Sam gaped at him and then huffed, sitting up in the bed and yanking the covers off of Crowley, ignoring the man's vicious glare completely and just glaring back.

"Don't look at me like that! I'm freaking out because of what we did last night, so you can damn well sit there - _awake_ \- and let me freak out!" Sam sniped, huffing when Crowley just gaped at him before he groaned and sat up, muttering under his breath about something Sam was fairly certain he didn't want to know.

"Fine, panic and flail away. Don't let my knackered exterior put you off," Crowley grumbled, staring at Sam with an unimpressed stare as he motioned for Sam to do as he'd just suggested. Sam just glared at him once more and huffed, crossing his arms over his chest and feeling a little too naked for this conversation. Though he knew for a fact that Crowley would mock him mercilessly if he even considered grabbing a t-shirt to wear.

"I'm not panicking. Not at all! I'm just… a little confused as to what happens now, because well… let's be honest, I'm not the best at making friends and well, you're my closest friend and I'm worried that whatever happened last night might ruin that friendship. Which would suck," Sam added with a small sigh, uncrossing his arms and playing at the covers over his legs instead.

"Moose, if you wanna ignore what happened last night and pretend nothing did happen, then that's fine with me. I'll go along with that. If you want to see if it'll go further, then that is also fine with me," Crowley told him, actually a little like he was concerned about Sam's mental health with this issue. Sam just stared back at him for a few moments and then released a sigh and gave him a shaky smile.

"Um… can we see where we can go with it?" Sam asked tentatively. Crowley stared at him in silence for long enough that Sam started to worry that he'd misunderstood what Crowley had said to him.

"I did say that was an option, so that's fine with me. Now we've got that sorted, can we please go back to sleep? It's only half six in the bloody morning. No one is awake at this time. Trust me," Crowley groaned, shifting to lie back down in bed and ignoring the snicker Sam gave.

"Fine but um… I've got to leave for work in about two hours so, I think I might get up and ready for that. Mentally prepare myself for a day with Emily," Sam said, stretching his arms above his head and yawning, before looking over and smiling at Crowley - who just stared back at him before rolling his eyes.

"Fine, I'll get up too then, I suppose. Fuck knows what would happen if you were left to your own devices in making breakfast. Probably blow up the house," Crowley muttered under his breath as he begrudgingly got out of the bed, much to Sam's amusement. Though he would admit to feeling a small amount of indignation that Crowley thought he couldn't cook.

Though the man was possibly right.

Sam didn't say anything more however, just grinned a little and clambered off the bed, blushing when he noticed the cloth he'd used last night to wipe himself up, then grabbing his overnight bag and quickly darting into the bathroom before Crowley could beat him there.

* * *

Relationships, Sam decided, were nothing like they were portrayed on TV and in films. At all. Which, he sort of expected, not just because he generally didn't watch shows or films that were based around a gay male couple and well, he wasn't so naive to think that relationships were like that anyway.

He wasn't, honest.

Though he did think that they should have had a basis in truth. Surely. That was only fair.

Apparently though, almost a month into his relationship - possibly, he was calling it that due to no other idea of what else to call it - with Crowley and Sam could only decide that he needed to either watch more rom coms with two men in a relationship, one of which was a snarky Englishman who was also possibly a crime lord of some sort - Sam still had no idea on that front - or he needed to write one.

Because no one told him that his 'other half' would be more his 'other seventy-five percent' and would be snarky to everyone, ridiculously possessive whenever they went out together and would show a little too much interest in his college life.

Which most would probably want from their partner.

Except Crowley asked Sam for legal advice in a way that suggested to Sam the man was contemplating breaking a law and was trying to find out how to get around getting caught. Or he already had broken the law.

Sam didn't want to know.

The one thing - the _main_ thing in fact - that Sam hadn't been warned about/prepared for, was that he didn't _mind_ any of this. Though he could possibly live without Crowley actually growling at that one man who had the sheer audacity to hit on Sam in front of Crowley.

Actually, Sam didn't think the man asking him what the time was actually _was_ hitting on him, but Crowley claimed he was, and sometimes it was easier to just agree.

So Sam, who was totally new to the idea of a relationship and had gone into the whole thing just hoping he didn't get his heart ripped out, spat on and then crushed under a perfectly buffered shoe, was currently completely baffled to find Gabriel ('I really prefer Loki') Laufeyssen standing at his door, looking amused. Sam felt completely justified in the brief flash of fear he felt as well, given two weeks after Sam first met the man, he accidentally sent Sam to hospital, claiming he hadn't realised Sam was actually allergic to chillies when he'd put them in Sam's cocoa.

"Um… Loki?" Sam asked, looking over the man's head for a second to see if Crowley was with him, then looking back at Loki when he didn't see the other man.

"He's not here. I'm here for you!" Loki exclaimed cheerfully, practically bouncing on his heels in excitement and making Sam take a step back from him warily. Which sadly the man took as an invitation into his room. A room Sam had to himself for once, Brady being out somewhere for a change and not bothering Sam like he normally did when Sam wasn't either with Crowley or being sexiled.

"Er… come in?" Sam muttered, moving to close the door behind Loki and then sitting down on his bed, watching Loki nose around the room.

"Huh… kinda small in here, isn't it?" Loki asked, looking in Brady's closet and making Sam snicker and shake his head.

"Student accommodation. Not known for being spacey. By the way, should you feel the need to leave a highly venomous snake in there or a precariously placed rusty axe, then by all means, do so. That's Brady's closet," Sam explained when Loki looked at him curiously. That curiosity quickly turned into vicious amusement.

"Oh really? Hmm… sadly Crowley frisked me and took away all dangerous objects and such before I came here, so I don't have anything on me. But I can always come back with something should I need to."

"So Crowley sent you here? Or at least knows you're here. Um… why _are_ you here? Not that I mind or anything, just… I'm kinda studying and well, taking advantage of the lack of Brady and having the room to myself, which is a rare thing," Sam added under his breath, shifting his books and papers out of the way for Loki to sit down next to him.

"Crowley. Sent me to collect you and take you to our place. He said the reason he didn't just send you a text and ask you to come over was because he didn't trust you not to bring your school books with you, which, looking around, I can now understand. So, grab your bags, let's go," Loki said, clapping his hands and standing up from the bed, ignoring Sam's gaping at him completely.

"I can't just leave! I've got exams coming up! I need to study! What?" Sam asked, looking and feeling completely baffled as he watched Loki completely ignore him and start pulling a duffle bag from under Sam's bed.

"Uh huh. Crowley told me your exams don't start for another two weeks or so, so you don't have an excuse. Maybe you should change and I'll pack some clothes for you. You'll be staying overnight," Loki told him, looking at what Sam was wearing with a critical eye - which wasn't too hard given Sam hadn't changed out of his sleep clothes, given he hadn't had any intention of leaving his room.

Then what Loki had just said registered fully in Sam's mind and he realised just what the man might find if he searched through Sam's stuff a little too thoroughly. And then wonder why he has a bag of rock salt and a loaded shot gun stashed under his bed.

Which would lead to some awkward questions.

"Er… no. I can pack and um… get changed. Plus, you know, I haven't done any laundry for a while, so I'm gonna have to wear these to bed tonight so… I… don't have anything to pack except things I don't really feel comfortable letting you look for. So you can just… sit there?" Sam suggested with a small wave towards the end of his bed. Loki glanced at him with narrowed eyes and then huffed and sat down heavily where Sam has indicated. Sam felt proud when he didn't lunge across the bed and snatch the book out of Loki's hands when he picked one up. Instead, Sam quickly got off his bed and rummaged through his drawers for the clothes he could change into.

"No. Not them." Sam paused in pulling out his t-shirt and turned to look at Loki, wondering what the man was talking to. "Them, you're not wearing them. Wear something nicer."

"Nicer how?" Sam asked him, feeling completely baffled as he looked down at the t-shirt in his hands. He didn't think it looked that tatty, it was one of his newer ones at least. Well, by newer he meant that Dean hadn't owned it before him.

"Got any shirts? Something a little more formal and a little less… charity shop?" Loki asked him, smiling when Sam shot him an insulted look. Sam scowled but still shoved the t-shirt back into his drawers and walked over to his own closet. He pulled out a black button down and held it up for Loki's inspection. "It'll do I guess. Now, put that on, wear those jeans that make your legs, somehow, look even longer and your ass to look hot. Then grab whatever else you'll need for the night and we can get a move on before Crowley sends a hitman out after me."

"I don't think he'd do that," Sam muttered under his breath as he pulled his top off and changed into the dress shirt.

"You'd be surprised. Always knew he was a possessive bastard, but he takes it to all new extremes when it comes to you. You can tell he was an only child, can't you? Never learned how to share." Sam snickered at that as he crossed his room to grab his jeans - which he figured were the ones Loki meant given they were the ones he'd been wearing the last time he saw the man - and then quickly changed out of his sweatpants and into the jeans, trying to ignore the wolf-whistle Loki gave him.

"So I'm packing to stay overnight? Can I not take the books I'll need for tomorrow's classes?" Sam asked as he grabbed his bag off the bed and then paused and looked at Loki, waiting for the answer. Loki just wrinkled his nose and shrugged.

"I dunno. He didn't say anything about that. Guess you can just as long as you don't take them out of the bag until you need them in class tomorrow," Loki told him with a shrug as he turned his attention back to the book he was flipping through.

"Good. That means I can at least stay in bed a little longer," Sam muttered, grabbing his smaller shoulder bag and throwing his books in there, before closing it and shoving it in the bottom of his back pack. Sam then quickly glanced at Loki to see what he was doing - and had the fleeting thought that having Loki around was very similar to having a toddler around - then went back to grabbing whatever clothes he'd need for tomorrow.

"Why would anyone care about tax law? This really is quite boring. I mean, I actually want to cry a little just from reading the title 'how to apply tax law in general'. I'm not kidding. Actual tears are running down my face," Loki exclaimed, and Sam tried to ignore the urge, but inevitably gave in to it and turned to see if the man actually did have tears.

"It's more sad that you're crying whilst reading a law textbook. Anyway, I'm done so we can go. Are you staying in tonight?" Sam asked him, throwing his bag over his shoulder and snatching the book out of Loki's hands when it looked like he wasn't going to put it down.

"Oi! And not likely! I'm not listening to you screaming all night. 'Ooh! Crowley there! Ooh! Ooh! AH! Oh, you big manly brute, you!' No thanks." Sam felt his face inflame with embarrassment when Loki started overacting someone having - strange - sex.

"That is not what I sound like. Shut up," Sam muttered, trying to hide behind his hair and feeling his blush just deepen when Loki chuckled.

"Sure you don't. Maybe not the manly brute part… but you are kinda loud," Loki told him, practically cackling when Sam ducked his head down and refused to look at the man as he shut the door behind them and then led the way out of halls. "Aw, come on, Sammy! Don't be embarrassed! Well, don't be too embarrassed."

"Can we stop this line of conversation please? Please? How about you tell me what you'll be doing tonight seeing as you won't be at home. How about that?" Sam asked hopefully, glancing over at Loki and feeling a small sense of disappointment when it didn't look like Loki was going to take him up on the offer.

"Oh fine, if only because Crowley would have my balls if you're all uppity and stressed when I deliver you. Tonight I have plans to see a man about a dog." Sam stopped and stared at Loki's back, until Loki realised that Sam was no longer walking beside him and stopped to turn back to Sam. "What?"

Sam flailed a little as he tried to find the words, then shrugged, "a man about a dog? Really?"

"Nothing wrong with seeing a man about a dog," Loki huffed, looking rather put out and making Sam just gape at him even more.

"Not saying there is… just never actually heard anyone use that saying in a serious manner before. Unless you're actually getting a dog. Are you getting a dog? I wanted a dog when I was younger. Couldn't have one though because we always travelled around the country and never really had a home. So… that sucked. Are you getting a dog?" Sam asked excitedly, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he started to walk once again and moved to catch up with Loki, who was looking at him with barely suppressed amusement.

"No… not getting a dog. I don't think Crowley would be impressed if I got a dog, do you? I used to have a jack russell but I lost him," Loki told him and Sam sent the man a sad look and clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"He died? Oh, that's kinda really sad! Was he old?"

"Died? No… I mean, I lost him like… I couldn't remember where I last left him."

"Oh. Um… probably a good thing that you're not getting a dog then, right? What was he called?" Sam asked, hitching his bag further up his shoulder as the two made their way off of campus and towards where Crowley lived.

"Dog."

"Dog…? …Why?" Sam asked after a brief pause in which he considered whether he truly wanted to know.

"That's what it was?"

"You're not a pet person really, are you?" Sam asked finally, getting a bright smile from Loki before he burst into loud laughter.

"Not really, no. I like dogs, and it was a cute puppy, but it sort of just followed me home one day," Loki admitted with a wide grin as the two turned the corner to the street Crowley and Loki lived on and Loki came to a stop, which in turn forced Sam to stop.

"So really, what are you up to tonight because I feel a bit guilty at having thrown you out of your house…" Sam admitted sheepishly, scuffing the toe of his trainer into the ground and looking up at Loki through his hair.

"Don't bother, I really do have things I need to do. I'm heading out of town for a week or two, though I'll be back by the time you finish your first year at uni so we can go out and celebrate your exam results! Now, off you go, prove to Crowley that I can be trusted to not sell you, lose you or just traumatise you! Good luck with your exams and have fun tonight!" Loki told him with a wicked grin that just made Sam blush for reasons beyond Sam's knowledge. Loki then chuckled, leered at him and walked off with a small wave over his shoulder at Sam. Sam watched the shorter man walk off for a second or two and then turned back to walk to Crowley's house, wondering just what the other man had planned, because he clearly _did_ have something planned. Shame he couldn't get Loki to spill the beans.

Sam knocked on the door before he opened it and walked into the house, only to blink in surprise when Crowley practically just appeared in front of him, grinning - well, more like leering - at him and nodding in approval over what he was wearing.

"Not quite tailored to fit, but I suppose we can work you towards that. You're a student, so it's acceptable for now. Now, throw your bag into our room and then we can leave. Hurry up though, dunno what you and that damned Trickster were up to, but we're on a bit of a deadline," Crowley told him, ushering him towards the main bedroom - which Sam had indeed noticed Crowley referring to as 'theirs' and had chosen to just ignore it for the time being - and ignoring any and all of Sam's attempts to question the man.

Sam dropped his bag next to the bed and turned to face Crowley only to see the man staring at his bag suspiciously. "I brought the books I'd need for tomorrows classes! Loki said that would be fine! Just means that I don't have to wake up quite as early as I would have to if I'd have to go back to my room and get everything sorted!"

"Hmm, suppose I can accept that. Right, you ready? Good, let's leave then shall we?" Crowley said, turning sharply on his heels and walking back out of the bedroom, leaving Sam in there gaping at the man's back.

"Um… Crowley! Wait up! Where are we going?" Sam called out, hurrying to catch up with Crowley, who suddenly seemed to have developed freakish magical powers to jump from room to room. Were Sam a little more paranoid like his father, he'd have tried to sneak salt into Crowley's food or attacked him with some holy water.

As it was, Crowley was actually allergic to salt - which was something Sam had only found out about when Loki had brought it up whilst mocking Crowley about it - and Sam had possibly snuck holy water into the kettle not long after he'd accepted the invitation into the man's house.

Sam was fairly certain that boiling holy water didn't take away any of the… holiness. He didn't think so at least. He'd possibly bring that up to either pastor Jim or Bobby one day. When he dug up the courage to contact either man and see if they hated him as much as his father seemingly did.

"We're goin' out," Crowley told him simply, ignoring the glare that answer got him and just grabbing his ridiculously heavy coat considering it was May and they lived in California. Actually, Sam sometimes felt light-headed and wondered if he was getting heat-stroke by association whenever he saw the man wearing that coat.

It really was ridiculously heavy. Kinda hot though.

"You're not going to tell me where we're going? Not even a hint? It's not like… a graveyard or somewhere inconspicuous where you can hide a body and it won't ever be found is it?" Sam asked, brushing his hands down his chest as he tried to get rid of any creases that might have appeared in the walk over.

Crowley was the kind of man that made the normal looking human being worry a lot about creases in their clothing.

Even students.

Especially students.

"I ain't gonna kill you and bury the body, Moose. Now stop bitching and let's leave," Crowley told him with a smirk on his face. Sam snickered and nodded his head, sticking his tongue out at the back of Crowley's head as he followed the man out of the house.

"We're going in your car? And can I just say, once more, how desperately disappointed I am that you don't drive a Bentley?" Sam added with a cheeky grin as he climbed into the passenger side of Crowley's car. Which the man was more possessive over than Dean was of the Impala. Which was saying something.

"We can't walk and Bentley's are shit. It's basically a bloody estate car with a skirting board. This car is a classic," Crowley said with a smirk, brushing his hand over the wheel and then starting the engine. Sam had to agree with Crowley about the car. He didn't know much about cars, but even he knew Aston Martin's were nice. Even if they were apparently made for midgets.

Normal sized people according to Crowley and Loki. Who were both midgets and therefore their opinion didn't count.

"So, we're driving there, we have to look smart-ish and… that's all I have. Really, you're not giving me any clues at all? Not even a little one?" Sam asked, refusing to acknowledge that he was possibly beginning to whine a little.

"You ain't got any clue about where we're going or why? Not one?" Crowley asked him, glancing over at him askance slightly before returning his attention to the road - heaven forbid he dent his car. Actually a sadistic part of Sam wanted to know just how Crowley would react if anyone ever hit his car.

"Nope. Not a clue. Are we celebrating something? If so, what?" Sam asked, fidgeting in his seat a little as he turned to look at Crowley, a small spark of excitement lighting in him.

"Yes and quite honestly I don't know how to react to you not havin' any clue as to what it is we might be celebratin'," Crowley drawled and Sam frowned wondering just what it was he was forgetting. As far as he knew people didn't celebrate their 'just over a month' anniversary.

Before Sam could answer to that though, Crowley slowed the car down and pulled in front of one of the higher end restaurants in town, causing Sam to gape and then quickly begin to try and rub out the creases in his shirt once more.

"Stop faffin', you look fine," Crowley told him, batting away Sam's hands and then climbing out of the car, handing the keys to the valet and then turning to wait for Sam to catch up with him.

Sam glanced at the valet guy, almost positive he'd seen him around campus at some point, and so gave him a shaky smile before he hurried over to Crowley and placed a hand on the older man's arm.

"I feel out of place," Sam muttered as they entered the restaurant and Sam had the paranoid notion that everyone in the room had just stared at them and found Sam wanting.

"Don't be ridiculous. You're with me and I belong everywhere. Therefore, by association, you belong everywhere," Crowley told him, then sneered at the harried looking waitress who looked at them questioningly, "Table for two under the name Crowley."

"Of course, Mr Crowley, sir. If you would both like to follow me," she said, grabbing two menus from the desk and then leading them both into the main floor of the restaurant and a small table for two that seemed to be a little more out of the way than the tables nearer the front doors.

"Crowley…" Sam trailed off as he took the menu the waitress offered him as he sat down, and then glanced across the table at Crowley. He was interrupted by saying anything else once more when Crowley asked for bottle of wine - which Sam assumed was a good… year? - and then waved the waitress away. "Can you tell me why we're here now? Have I forgotten some sort of anniversary? Because if I have, I'm really sorry."

"Only anniversary you seem to have forgotten is the anniversary of your birth. It's your birthday, you twit," Crowley told him, clearly not even bothering to hide his amusement at this. Sam just gaped at him and then looked at the table as he felt himself blush.

"Oh. Yeah. I don't really celebrate it and so… yeah, I'd forgotten. Wow. This is… thank you, Crowley," Sam said softly, looking up and giving Crowley a slightly shy smile as he fiddled with the cutlery on the table in front of him.

"Don't mention it. I wanted to do something for you and I thought you'd like to go out for a meal rather than something a bit more outlandish. So enjoy it and order whatever you want," Crowley told him as he turned his attention to the menu in front of him. Sam shot him a warm look before looking back to the menu in his hands and ignoring the fact that the prices weren't even mentioned on the menu.

"Hi, I'm Emma and I'll be serving you tonight. Are you ready to order, sirs?" Sam jerked in his seat when 'Emma' seemingly appeared out of nowhere at his elbow. Looking at her in shock, Sam frowned and had the passing thought to wonder if everyone working here was a student at Stanford.

"Sam, you ready to order?" Crowley asked him, grabbing Sam's attention back from their waitress, who looked like she was also trying to place Sam.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Sorry. Um, I'd like the steak please. Medium rare. Thank you," Sam said, closing the menu and looking over at Crowley, who just smirked and shook his head.

"I'll have the lobster, thanks. And we'll both have the chef's special for dessert. Cheers," Crowley told the waitress before he picked Sam's menu up and handed them both to the woman, raising an eyebrow at her when she didn't immediately take them away and place their order. She stammered an apology, blushed and then hurried away, leaving Sam to look at Crowley in confusion.

"Um…"

"She was bothering me. So then, many happy returns and all that," Crowley said, holding his glass of wine up and tapping it agains the one next to Sam, which Sam hadn't actually noticed and he was starting to worry about his lack of observation skills. He should possibly do something over the summer to get his hunting skills back up to scratch, just in case he should ever decide that a normal life wasn't what he was looking for.

Though looking at Crowley, he didn't think he'd be coming to that conclusion anytime soon. Then again, he wasn't too sure he could claim what he was currently living as a normal life.

"So, do you have any plans for the summer break, Moose?" Crowley asked, dragging Sam out of his thoughts. Sam blinked at the man in mild shock and confusion and then shrugged. He really was beginning to wonder if Crowley could read his mind.

"Erm… I hadn't really given it much thought," Sam admitted, given he'd only just thought of the summer moments before. He really had no clue what he was going to do as he was fairly certain he wouldn't be allowed to stay in halls over the summer break.

"Right, well if you have any ideas, let me know. Any idea where you will be living? They let students live in the dorms over the summer?" Crowley asked him and Sam wrinkled his nose then picked up his glass and took a sip of the wine.

"No, I'm pretty certain I read that they close halls over the summer, so I guess the main thing I'll be doing is looking for somewhere to live during that time," Sam said with a sheepish grin, blushing when Crowley just rolled his eyes.

"I don't know why I bother. You're welcome to stay with me and Gabriel whenever he's around. Who knows what his plans will be over the summer," Crowley muttered, sipping his wine and then pinning Sam with a narrow eyed look. "So these books you've brought over even though I specifically told Gabriel not to bring any book of any kind, they're not leaving your bag until you are sitting at a desk in your college, are they."

"Nope! I promise! Honest! I only shoved the books I need for classes tomorrow. Though I really did need to do some studying for finals. Admittedly, I'd rather be here though, so I'm not complaining!" Sam added with a bright smile, moving back a little when he noticed the waitress coming over with their meals. Sam blushed a little when his stomach rumbled as soon as his dish was placed in front of him and the smell reached him. It also reminded him that he had no idea when he had last eaten something substantial.

The rest of the meal passed by with amazing food and amusing conversation, as any conversation with Crowley always is, and possibly a little too much wine. Given Sam wasn't really used to drinking much alcohol at the best of times then, despite his height, the wine went straight to Sam's head and three hours later, an amused Crowley was practically dragging Sam back to his car which the - highly amused - valet had waiting for them at the entrance.

"Come on, Moose. Fold yourself into the car and we can get you home," Crowley told him, taking the keys from the valet as they passed.

"Hoooome! Home, Jeeves! You have the accent of a Jeeves!" Sam gasped, patting Crowley on the chest and then falling against the car, "s'that what you do? Jeeves? Nah, you-you're like… I don't have a home."

"Christ, the maudlin drunk side of you didn't take long in coming out, did it, Moose?" Crowley muttered, struggling with Sam's freakishly long legs to get into the car. Sam just blinked dumbly at him, wondering why his legs weren't doing what he wanted them to.

"M'not maudlin. S'the truth! Don't have a home. Never had one. Well… had th'impala. She's pretty. I miss her. N'Dean. Miss 'im too," Sam mumbled, flailing spectacularly when he felt his grip on the world suddenly tilt and the ground seemingly had the sudden urge to greet his face. Thankfully, that plan was foiled by a pair of strong arms wrapping around his chest and holding him up.

"For a student, you don't half weigh a shit-tonne," Crowley grumbled, and Sam fidgeted as he tried to twist and look at him.

"You're strong. Woo. Ooh! I think I've had too much to drink," Sam admitted sagely, before he burst into giggles. Crowley just sighed and finally got Sam into the car, shooting a glare over his shoulder at the snickering valet before he walked over to the drivers side and climbed in. As soon as he was sitting down, Sam snuggled into his side and promptly began to drool on his shoulder and snuffle little half snores.

"Oh no you don't, wake up, Moose! Come on, you fall asleep now and I'll never get you out of the car when we get back home!" Crowley growled, shaking Sam until Sam jerked awake and blinked at him sleepily.

"Whazzat?" Sam slurred, blinking furiously as though to clear his eyes and then just staring at Crowley blankly. Crowley sighed heavily before pulling away from the restaurant, Sam watched him and then turned to look out the window. "When'd we leave? Where're we going now?"

"Told you, Moose, we're going home now. And remind me to never let you drink wine again," Crowley added, sending a smirk at Sam over his shoulder to show him that he was more amused than annoyed at Sam being drunk.

"Takin' me back to halls? Brady prob'ly won't like that," Sam told him with a small nod and staring at Crowley with large, sad puppy dog eyes.

"No, Moose, I'm not taking you back to your dorm. We're heading back to my house. You feelin' alright, Kid? Not goin' to throw up in my car, are you? I like you, but I don't know if I could forgive you if you did that," Crowley told him, and Sam reached across and sloppily patted Crowley on the head.

"There, there. Beryl's gonna be fine."

"Beryl?"

"Your car reminds me of a Beryl. Are we nearly home? I'm kinda tired. Do I have to go to college tomorrow? I don't want to," Sam finished with a whine, looking at Crowley when the man snorted.

"Up to you, Moose. Let me know what you've decided when we get back so I know whether or not to set my alarm, okay?" Crowley asked hiM. Sam just sleepily nodded his agreement and then let his head fall back down to rest on Crowley's shoulder. "Don't be fallin' back to sleep on me. We'll be back home in a few minutes."

"Wanna sleep. Thank you for tonight, Ley, it was awesome," Sam told him quietly, nuzzling his nose slightly into the older mans neck and sighing lightly.

"You decided what you want to do tomorrow? Given that I'd imagine by now all your classes will just be catch up sessions, you probably won't be missing anything too important," Crowley told him a little while later, and Sam nodded before pulling back from Crowley's neck when he felt the car come to a stop.

"We home?"

"Yep, so you decided?"

"Yeah, m'gonna skip," Sam decided with a firm nod, making Crowley chuckle as he leant over Sam and opened the door for him.

"Good, let's get you inside then, shall we, Moose?" Crowley told him, getting out of his own side of the car and then moving round to help Sam crawl out of the car.

"Bed?" Sam asked as Crowley draped his arm over his shoulder and helped him to stay upright. Crowley just snorted his amusement and then struggled to open the door whilst keeping Sam from face-planting into the ground.

"Sure thing, Moose. Bed. Come on," Crowley muttered once he'd finally managed to get the door open and then proceeded to lead Sam through the house and to the master bedroom.

As soon as Crowley managed to finagle Sam into the bed, removing his shoes and throwing them to the side before covering the younger man up and rolling his eyes when he realised that Sam was now fast asleep.

"Happy Birthday, Moose," Crowley whispered, running a hand through Sam's hair before he went into the ensuite to get ready for bed himself.

* * *

When Sam woke the next morning, he was torn between trying to get back to sleep, killing himself to get away from the pain and throwing up. The second option wasn't really an option to begin with, and throwing up has never been something Sam particularly enjoys - who does? - So he decided the best option was to just roll over and try to get back to sleep, groaning a little when he had to move his head. His blind snuggling into the covers led him to pressing against who he hoped was Crowley or else things were going to get a little awkward once Sam felt he could live if he dared open his eyes and actually fully woke up.

"Wley?" Sam mumbled, not actually moving away from who he truly hoped was Crowley and instead just moving closer to him.

"Did you just call me a wally?"

"Nng."

"Feeling like shit?"

"Unf."

"I'll go make you some coffee then if you'll let go of me so I can get out of the bed," Crowley told him, though Sam noted that the man wasn't really making much effort in keeping his voice down. Which was why Sam had no problem in letting Crowley go and practically shoving him out of the bed.

"C'ffee," Sam mumbled, trying to bury his face even further into the pillow and refusing to move even when he heard Crowley snort in amusement at him and then leave the room.

Sam had no idea how much longer he was left alone in the bed before Crowley came back, this time bearing coffee and forced Sam to sit up before he handed him the coffee mug.

"Time s'it?" Sam mumbled, hugging the mug to himself and giving a small happy sigh when he took a sip and imagined he could almost feel the caffeine start to work in waking him up. Though the headache still remained. "Got aspirin?"

"I've got paracetamol. And morphine too, but I'm doubting you need that. As for the time, it's just eleven in the morning," Crowley told him, standing up from the bed one more and going towards the bathroom. Sam jerked awake even more when Crowley told him the time and then cursed loudly when he managed to spill coffee down himself.

"I've got class!"

"Nope, you told me last night that you didn't wanna go in today and so I didn't set the alarm." Sam gaped at Crowley for his explanation, only to be interrupted before he could reply by Crowley handing him two tablets. "Take them, don't bitch at me for turning the alarm off, then we can go back to sleep. Deal? Good."

Sam just stared at him before he blinked slowly and took the tablets, then downed the rest of his coffee and turned to look at Crowley - still somewhat blearily - rubbing the sleep away from his eyes.

"And you don't mind me being here all day until I have to leave for work?" Sam asked skeptically, giving a jaw-popping yawn and knuckling at his temples even as he felt his headache starting to fade. Crowley just stared at him before he rolled his eyes and climbed back on the bed beside Sam.

"Why would I not set the alarm if I wanted you out of my house as soon as possible? Now, can we please try and get a bit more sleep before you continue with the panicking and the freaking out?" Crowley muttered, moving to lie on his side facing Sam. Sam just grinned sheepishly, before he placed his now empty coffee mug on the bedside table and lay back down in bed.

"Can't say that's the worst idea that you've had," Sam admitted, as he snuggled back under the covers, lying on his side to face Crowley and smiling softly. "Thank you for last night, by the way."

"You're welcome, you know how to thank me? By going back to sleep for a couple more hours," Crowley grouched, shifting to pull the covers over his head. Sam just snickered and sleepily patted the covers where Crowley's head was before he settled down to try and go back to sleep.

* * *

Sam woke slowly, and feeling much better than the first time he'd woken that day, and by glancing at the clock on the table near Crowley, he noticed that a good three hours had passed since then. Looking at the man (still) sleeping next to him, Sam grinned and then shuffled nearer to Crowley.

"Whatever you're thinking of doing to me, think again," Crowley mumbled, making Sam freeze in his moves.

"Even if I was going to blow you?" Sam asked, looking at Crowley with a bright grin, which just got wider when Crowley narrowed his eyes at him.

"In that case, get down there and make good on what you were about to do," Crowley told him, giving him a small nudge on the shoulder to back his statement.

"I dunno… maybe I should wait… I mean, you're kinda getting on in years… don't you have some tablets you need to be taking before?" Sam asked with a cheeky grin, yelping when it just caused Crowley to growl at him and the flip Sam onto his back, before Crowley moved to lie on top of him, hips and legs settling between Sam's legs.

"Too old? You think I'm too old?" Crowley asked him through a growl, sending a shiver down Sam's spine as he arched up into Crowley's body, trying to get more contact with the older man.

"N-no. Not old. Nope!" Sam managed to gasp out, clawing his fingers at Crowley's back and shoulders. Sam whined softly in the back of his throat at the too little friction between them, and widened his legs even more to try and get Crowley to do something. Anything.

"Don't know if I believe you…" Crowley murmured, wicked grin on his face as he slowly dragged his body down the length of Sam's, hands tickle trip trailing down Sam's sides as he moved to kneel between Sam's legs. Crowley glanced up at Sam and smirked, hands pinning Sam's hips to the bed before he dipped his head down and then turned to lick Sam's stomach just above his navel instead of where Sam had hoped he would be heading. Which made Sam whine even louder and struggle to try and move his hips out of Crowley's grip.

"Crow…ley…!" Sam moaned loudly and gasped when Crowley nipped sharply at his stomach, making Sam's stomach dip and contract at the touch. Sam writhed and struggled to get his hips nearer to Crowley, hands clutching tightly at the sheets when Crowley finally moved nearer to Sam's erection and licked a stripe up it. Crowley chuckled when Sam choked on a moan and tried anything to get as close to Crowley as he could.

"Now now, patience," Crowley muttered against Sam's stomach, giving another warning nip when Sam tried to move once more, before he licked over the mark to lessen the sting and finally moved his attention back to Sam's erection and swallowed it down in one, making Sam's back arch up from the bed as he cried out in shock. Soon he was pressing his head back into the bed as he babbled and moaned nonsense, fingers letting up their grip on the sheets to move to Crowley's head, fingers tangling softly into the man's short hair.

Sam moaned and then hissed when he suddenly felt Crowley started to gently press a well lubed finger against his entrance, making Sam give a seconds thought as to where the lube came from before the finger breached him and all thoughts left his head, just leaving Sam in a buzz of nearly-there pleasure. Slowly, steadily, Sam felt Crowley almost methodically stretch him, slowly adding a second finger once he felt Sam was stretched enough with one.

Sam's mind slowly became less and less coherent the more Crowley worked him open, paying the same amount of attention to stretching Sam as he did to sucking and licking at Sam's erection. Sam couldn't bring himself together enough to know how long Crowley had been working on him before he felt Crowley take his fingers out of him and move his mouth away from Sam's erection, making Sam whine at the loss, unsure if he want to thrust for more attention or press down to be filled.

Thankfully, Sam didn't have long to miss the loss, as Crowley made his way back up Sam's body, pressing a hard, deep kiss to Sam's already bruised lips, then biting at his bottom lip as he slowly guided himself into Sam. Sam moaned, breath hitching as Crowley pushed into him, not stopping until he bottomed out and then stopping to let Sam adjust to him.

When he felt himself start to relax around Crowley, Sam shifted, breath hitching as it moved Crowley inside him to press against his prostate. Sam clawed and gripped at Crowley's shoulders and back when Crowley started to thrust into him at a steady pace, withdrawing almost entirely before slamming back in and robbing Sam of his breath with each thrust.

Sam arched up into Crowley, eyes slamming shut as his pleasure grew higher and higher, stomach clenching as his toes curled and uncurled. Sam moaned, eyes opening partially when Crowley began to nip, lick and suck at his neck, and Sam tipped his head further back to give him even more access. Bringing his legs up to wrap around Crowley's waist and make his thrusts into Sam even deeper, Sam whimpered as that caused Crowley to hit his prostate with each deep thrust and Sam began to scrabble and scratch at Crowley back, before he threw his arms over his head and pushed on the headboard, pressing down into Crowley's quickening thrusts.

"Ley! M'gonna - ah! Please!" Sam begged, changing his grip on the headboard to grab it it as he felt his climax start to spread out from his stomach with each deep press of Crowley's erection.

"Come for me, Sam," Crowley growled out against his neck, making Sam moan before he cried out in shocked pleasure when Crowley wrapped a fist around his erection and began to pump it in time with his own thrusts. It only took a few strokes before Sam's orgasm crashed into him, making his throw his head back in a silent scream as his body shuddered with the force of it and he clenched around Crowley's erection.

Sam, breathing deep and unsteady, turned almost boneless under Crowley, opening his eyes and blinking away the black spots to stare up into Crowley's face as his thrusts into Sam's now over-sensitive body became more erratic and faster. Sam moaned quietly, arching up and tightening his legs around Crowley's waist as Crowley grunted out his own climax, cock pulsing inside of Sam. The feel of Crowley coming undone inside of him made Sam's own dick twitch in a valiant attempt at a second orgasm, making Sam groan loudly.

Crowley stayed resting on his arms above Sam, both breathing heavily as Sam lowered his legs from around Crowley's waist and let them drop limply onto the bed. He gave a small hiss when Crowley gently pulled out of him and then moved to lie down next to him, chuckling softly when Sam immediately rolled onto his side and snuggled into Crowley. Sam threw one of his long legs over Crowley's and turned into a human limpet and he clung to Crowley, breathing in deeply and feeling himself relax further and further into a semi-sleep state as he took in the strong musky scent of Crowley.

"We should get up and get clean, or else we're goin' to be all sticky and disgusting when it dries," Crowley murmured, not actually making any move to untangle Sam from around him and instead just tugging up the sheet between them enough to wipe Sam's release off of them both haphazardly.

"M'comfy," Sam mumbled, nuzzling into Crowley's neck and absently licking at the salty sweat drying on Crowley's skin as he felt himself drop into a light, sated doze.

"We'll stay here then and have a shower later," Crowley told him, reaching behind him to tug the blanket that had been tossed aside before over them as the air conditioner softly blew a draft over their cooling bodies.

"Together?" Sam asked in a barely audible mumble, pulling back a little to blink up at Crowley sleepily, giving a dopey smile when Crowley just chuckled and nodded. "M'okay. Sleep now."

Sam felt Crowley's chest jostle him gently as the older man chuckled at him and ran his fingers through Sam's thick, sweat-dampened hair, and finally putting Sam into a light slumber.


	6. Year 2, Part 1

Second Year  
Part One

Sam sat on a wall outside the main college campus with two bags and a large box filled with books and folders on the ground under him and slowly kicking his legs out, bouncing his heels off the wall as he waited for Crowley to pick him up and take him back to his house where he'd be living for the summer. Sam had been reluctant to agree at first, not sure Crowley would really appreciate Sam living with him twenty-four/seven, but Crowley had spent the entire time from his birthday until two days before, when Sam had finally caved, convincing Sam that he didn't mind and actually wanted Sam to live with him.

Sam still wasn't too sure it was a good idea, but he didn't really have anywhere else to go and didn't relish living in a motel for the next two and a half months. So he'd caved and agreed to move in with Crowley (and Gabriel on occasion) though only for the summer as he had already ensured he would be getting another room in halls on campus for his second year.

So now, Sam was waiting, having finished his last exam that morning and then been told, via text, by Crowley that he would be picked up by four if he was ready to leave. Which Sam was given Brady had turned into some sort of studying, sleepless demon whose main goal in life was to make Sam as miserable as he apparently was given he actually wanted to pass the year and thus had to go at least one night a week without sleeping with a random woman he'd found in a club. Which apparently made him cranky. Though did make him study, which Sam saw as a plus.

A pretty shitty and not at all worthy of anything kind of plus, but a plus all the same. So Sam had, in a way, almost bitten Crowley's arm off at the suggestion and had been packed and ready to move out - which given he didn't have all that much in the first place, didn't really surprise him - with a good hour to spare. And so Sam had decided to just wait for an hour longer than he had to just because the sheer boredom of watching cars leave jam-packed with items of leaving students, the exhausted student owners of the afore mention items and their overbearing parents pass him by actually sounded a hell of a lot more fun than spending another hour with the Demon Formerly Known As Brady.

It wouldn't shock Sam if Brady did, one day, decide to change his name into a random squiggly symbol that no one had any idea what to call or pronounce and thus actually made your name more pretentious, ridiculous and time wasting than your original name. That would be right up Brady's alley.

Pretentious dick.

So yes, Sam had left his home for the past nine months behind him with a gleeful cackle - mental, admittedly - and had gone to wait for Crowley. Half an hour before Crowley was to be expected, Sam had gotten a text from Gabriel asking him if he knew his grades yet.

Which Sam tentatively did, but wasn't too sure on the intelligence of admitting that to Gabriel and thus had lied. Sam, after hanging around with degenerates like Crowley, Gabriel and Janey, was much better at lying and was almost prolific via text. If nothing else, Sam could at least claim that to be something college had improved in him.

And now Sam was getting agitated and fidgety as it reached four and Sam realised that he was moving in with his lover - boyfriend really did sound too juvenile and he honestly worried Crowley would kill him slowly if he ever heard Sam refer to him as thus - and even if that was only for barely three months, it was still a huge step and something Sam had never ever considered he would be doing in his life.

Quite frankly, he was terrified. What if he screwed it all up and Crowley decided he didn't want to have to put up with Sam any more. Or worse, what if Crowley found out just what it was Sam's family had done and what Sam had left behind him when he'd moved to Stanford.

"Oi, Moose! You all set to leave?" Sam jerked out of his thoughts at the sound of Crowley and blinked down to see Crowley walking over to him, ever-present smirk on his face and hands in his pocket - Sam absently wondered at times if Crowley sometimes got his hands stuck in his pockets and was just too embarrassed and English to ask for any help - as he took in Sam's bags and box.

"Hey! Yeah, I'm all ready and set to leave! Everything I own is in these bags and that box! Which, looking at it, is actually a little depressing, but the truth and good news for us considering you probably came in you ridiculously small car and we'll be lucky to get just the box in the trunk."

"Stop bitching and grab the damned box. Gotta head back to ensure that Gabriel doesn't blow up the house," Crowley muttered, grabbing both of Sam's bags and walking back in the direction he'd come from, obviously expecting Sam to follow behind, which Sam did do.

"Um… why would we be worried that he'd blow up the house? What's he doing?" Sam asked tentatively, not sure he actually wanted to know the answer to that.

"He's decided that he's going to open his own sweet shop and make his own sweets to stock it," Crowley told him, sounding just as exasperated as Sam imagined he looked. Sam just winced at what could happen and then snickered quietly.

"He watched Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory again, didn't he?"

"Yes, and we've got you to thank for introducing him to the bloody film!" Crowley snapped at him over his shoulder, glaring when Sam just smiled widely at him, not in the least bit remorseful. Well, he'd probably feel a little remorseful if Gabriel did indeed blow the house up. That would be inconvenient to say the least.

"Aw, I just thought, what with his freakish love of candy - and really, his dentist must hate him - that he'd have seen the film… how was I to know he hadn't? And that when he did… it'd give him weird ideas?" Sam asked, shifting the box a little as his arms started to ache with the weight of it and hoping that Crowley hadn't parked too far away.

"You should have known. He's a bloody menace to society at the best of times, why did you not think watching a damned film about a chocolate factory would give the idiotic trickster any ideas? We can't even pass a chocolate shop without the moron getting ideas!"

"Do you sometimes feel like we're his parents? I do… it's odd. I'm only nineteen and I have a son who's… wait, how old _is_ Gabriel?" Sam called out, ignoring the strange look a passing student and her family gave him for his question. Judging by the crucifix around the mother's neck, they were a religious family. Besides, he was pretty used to the odd looks talking about someone called Gabriel in a familiar way brought him. Apparently it really wasn't a common name. Who knew?

"No idea. Older than you. Probably older than me as well," Crowley added after a moments pause to give it thought. Sam just gaped at him and then snorted in disbelief. "Don't even bother to tell me why you made that noise if you want to sleep anywhere but the couch tonight."

Sam snickered behind the box in his arms, keeping his eyes on Crowley's back to see where they were going and decided to just take Crowley up on his advice and not mention that Sam thought Crowley was pretty old. Given he was willingly sleeping with the guy, he wasn't too sure what he felt that meant about him.

"How old are you?" Sam asked instead, which as he thought about it, possibly wasn't all that much better in the long run. Judging by the practically glacial glare Crowley shot him over his shoulder as they finally reached Crowley's car - which, yes, was indeed the ridiculously small Aston - then Crowley didn't think it was a good question either.

"None of your business, whelp! Now, put your box in the boot then we can head back and see just what The Menace has done to my house," Crowley grumbled, throwing Sam's bags into the small space behind the seats and then climbing in to the drivers side. Sam watched him from the back of the car with a small amused smile on his lips, then miraculously managed to fit the box into the trunk of the car and slammed it shut, snickering at the muffled cursing that brought from Crowley in the car.

"All ready! We can go make sure Gabriel hasn't blown the house sky high now!" Sam said cheerfully as he folded himself into the seat next to Crowley - he really did need to convince Crowley to get a bigger car - and turned to smile brightly at the scowling man next to him.

"Slam the boot of my car again and I'll chop your legs off at the knees and then beat you with the bloody stumps, understand?" Crowley asked him in a deceptively calm voice, not that it had any affect on Sam whatsoever other than turn him on a little. He blamed that last one on his healthy teenage male sex drive… and a little on the fact that he really quite liked the idea of Crowley being all growly and dominant over him.

Sam shifted in his seat a little at that last thought and swallowed the whimper that wanted to escape, instead turning back to smile at Crowley and pat him on the head patronisingly, in the vague hope that maybe annoying the man even further, Crowley wouldn't notice that Sam was now hard. Really, he didn't need or want to give Crowley any more ammunition to use against him in the bedroom. Even if the thought of being completely dominated sort of turns him on a little.

Maybe he had Daddy issues…

Beyond the issue of not actually getting on with his dad and in fact wanting to shoot the man full of rock-salt a time or two.

"Sorry, Crowley! Now, don't you think we should go check on Gabriel?" Sam asked finally, grinning widely when Crowley just batted his hand away and shot him a narrow-eyed glare.

"Hmm, just keep my warning in mind," Crowley grumbled as he started the car and pulled out of the car park. Sam just knew Crowley was smirking when his fast driving made Sam bash his head into the door, but he was too busy blinking the spots out of his eyes to actually look and see.

* * *

Sam would admit to giving a small sigh of relief when they pulled into the drive of Crowley's house and saw that it was still standing and didn't look like anything had blown up. Of course, Sam knew from experience that sometimes mini explosions in kitchens didn't necessarily show from the outside, so his shoulders didn't actually relax until they entered the house and saw everything in tact. He was almost positive that Crowley didn't relax until he saw the house completely safe from any harm that Gabriel might have brought down on it.

Of course, Sam was also pretty certain that both of them suddenly went on guard when they didn't actually see or hear Gabriel anywhere.

"Maybe he's gone out?" Sam asked as he followed Crowley towards the kitchen, sending a quick look over at the dark hallway that led to the bedrooms, bathroom and Crowley's office.

"No, he said he would be here when we got back so he could talk to you, something about you being a bad liar even through texts?" Crowley said, looking at him with a raised eyebrow and smirking when Sam blushed. He honestly had thought he was better at lying.

"Oh, right… damn," Sam muttered under his breath, before following Crowley into the kitchen and finding out that snorting when you tried to stop it can actually hurt.

In the middle of the kitchen, covered almost head to toe with drying melted chocolate and wearing a somewhat surprised look on his face, Gabriel was standing with a wooden spoon in one hand and a rather warped and twisted plastic mixing bowl. Or what Sam assumed used to be a bowl.

"What…?" Crowley trailed off as he took in the rest of the kitchen, with its chocolate spattered walls and the solidified spun sugar stuck on the sides. Sam gave up his battle with trying not to laugh and let out a soft chuckle, stepping over a small puddle of milk. Or possibly cream. Sam didn't want to think what else would be that colour and puddled on the floor of a kitchen from which he ate food that had been prepared there. Really, his mind stubbornly refused to even entertain anything else it could be.

Stepping nearer to Gabriel, Sam dragged a finger down Gabriel's cheek and then popped the chocolate covered digit into his mouth, garnering shocked looks from both the other two men in the room with him and then moaned happily around his finger as the rich chocolatey taste burst onto his tastebuds, with a slight hint of something else a bit tangier.

"S'there lime in this?" Sam asked as he dragged his finger out of his mouth and seriously considered holding Gabriel's head and licking it. Though thankfully restraining himself as he thought that Crowley might actually kill them both if Sam did that.

"Er… yeah. You can taste it then?" Gabriel asked him, not moving from his place near Sam, possibly because it lessened the chances of Crowley throwing a knife at him seeing as he might miss and hit Sam. As that thought passed Sam's mind, he took a small step back from Gabriel, just in case the risk of hitting Sam didn't actually stop Crowley. Who looked increasingly red in the face.

Sam was actually starting to worry for the man's blood pressure. Which surely couldn't be a good thing at his age.

"Yeah, kinda like an aftertaste. Oh, hey! How old are you? Crowley didn't know, though he adamantly claimed that you were older than him. Are you really? I didn't think so," Sam admitted, with a quick glance at Crowley and taking a tiny step so that Gabriel was more in front of him then to his side when he saw the glare on Crowley's face. Pointing out the man's age possibly wasn't the wisest thing to do at the best of times, and this wasn't the best of times.

"Ah, that's good then, about the lime I mean. As for er… Crowley's right. I'm older…" Gabriel coughed nervously when Crowley audibly growled at them both and a boiled sweet fell from the folds of his apron. A little part of Sam really wanted to know what that had been doing there.

"Gabriel…"

"Um… I know it's a mess in here, Crowley, but I'll have it all cleaned up in a jiffy! Practically by the click of my fingers you could say!" Gabriel exclaimed with a bright smile at a still completely unimpressed Crowley.

"You'd better. We're going to go into the living room, join us once you've had a shower if you want. You can clean this place later on tonight," Crowley told him with an almost dismissive wave around the kitchen before he spun on his heels and walked out the kitchen.

"Think it's safe to follow him?" Sam asked Gabriel in a whisper, not taking his eyes off of the door that Crowley had left through.

"I don't think it's safe _not_ to follow him. Be brave, Sam. His bark is worse than his bite, pretty sure. Possibly. Maybe," Gabriel whispered back before he quickly nudged Sam towards the door and shooed him out of the kitchen.

Sam just sighed and walked into the front room where Crowley was sitting on a chair next to the sofa, fiddling with his phone and looking up when Sam walked in. Sam gave a small smile as he took a seat on the sofa, folding his legs up underneath him and gave a mental sigh when Crowley smiled back at him and then put his phone back into his pocket.

"Right, so the summer, I know I said you could live here, but I lied." Sam's stomach dropped at Crowley's words and he started to worry at his bottom lip with his teeth and clasped his hands in his lap.

"Oh, um… okay. No, I get that," Sam muttered, not sure if he wanted to look at Crowley or his knees. He decided his knees were the safer option, though his head snapped up immediately when a cushion hit his head and he looked at Crowley with a wounded expression on his face. "What was that for?"

"Stop feeling sorry for yourself and letting your self-esteem reach lows it has never before seen, and bloody let me finish what I was going to say, Moose!" Crowley snapped at him, holding out his hand for the cushion to be handed back and putting it back in it's place behind him, obviously completely ignoring the bewildered look on Sam's face.

"Sorry, go on…"

"Right, as I was saying, I lied about you living here because I need to leave the country and Gabriel decided he was going to come with me, so no one would be living here. So in that case, you're coming with us. Instead of living here for the summer, you're going to be travelling around Europe with myself and Gabriel. That fine with you?" Crowley asked him, giving Sam an impatient look when Sam just gaped at him in stunned silence.

Shaking his head a little to clear it of all the rambling thoughts currently running through it after Crowley's announcement, Sam just blinked and opened his mouth to reply, before snapping it shut when he realised he really didn't know what to say.

"Well?"

"I don't have a passport," was all Sam came up with and he realised that that was true, and a little bit depressing. Though why he would have needed a passport before then considering his dad had never even thought of taking Sam and Dean out of the country, he wasn't too sure.

"Don't worry about that, we can sort you out with a passport," Crowley told him and Sam looked at the man with narrowed eyes.

"A legal passport?"

"It'll work, so don't worry. So, was that your only issue with this?" Crowley asked him, completely waving over Sam's worries and brushing them aside with barely a thought. Which didn't help to make Sam feel any better about the how's and where's Crowley and Gabriel would be going about getting his passport.

"Er… Money? My job?"

"Don't worry about money, it's all paid for. And as for your job, ask them if you can have the summer off, if they say no, quit your job. You can always try and get another one if you think you'll need it when you come back for your second year," Crowley told him, not entirely unreasonably. The man did have a point, Sam silently conceded, and jumped when Gabriel - now cleaned up though still vaguely smelling of chocolate - suddenly jumped over the back of the sofa and settled down next to Sam.

"You've told him about our awesome, epic journey to tour the countries of Europe whilst not asking what it is we're doing there and why we have to leave the country we're currently travelling in in the dead of night and very quietly, like the end of Sound of music?" Gabriel asked, wide, mischievous grin on his face and he nudged Sam in the ribs and completely ignored the glare Crowley was sending him. Though Sam did mentally add that Crowley generally looked at Gabriel with that expression and so maybe Gabriel just didn't notice anymore.

"I was telling him now. Sam? Any thoughts? Or can we get started on making plans of what we'll need to get before we can leave. Which is in five days, by the way," Crowley added, completely erasing whatever Sam was going to say with that little bit of information and thus making Sam just gape once more. There was a chance that Sam gaped a little too much when around Crowley.

"Um… No?"

"Good. So we'll go grab your stuff from my car, see what you have and what you need, then we'll go get everything you don't have tomorrow sometime. Gabriel, Sam needs a passport as well." Sam glanced over at Gabriel when Crowley said this to see what the man's expression would be, he wished he hadn't when Gabriel turned to him with a positively wicked smirk on his face.

"Oh really? Well, I'll need a couple of bits of information from you, Sammykins and a decent passport photo - well, by decent I mean looking somewhat ill or possibly leaning more towards looking like you're on your deathbed - and then I'll have it all sorted and neatly wrapped for you by the day before we leave at the latest. Sound good? Good! So what else?"

Sam just stared from Gabriel to Crowley and back, and wondered if he would actually survive to the end of the summer or would in fact be allowed back into the country - or even out of it in the first place - after these two are done with everything.

"Are you sure this is all… legal?"

"No one ever said anything about legal, Sam-I-Am! Chill! It'll all be fine, and if it's not, then you can put what you've been learning into practice! Think of this as… a learning experience!" Sam just stared at Gabriel and then sank down into the sofa and closed his eyes with a pained groan as he felt a headache start to build behind his eyes.

"I'm going to get arrested. You're going to get me arrested and I'm going to become someone's prison bitch," Sam moaned, pinching the bridge of his nose and letting out a small pathetic whimper, ignoring the snickering coming from Gabriel.

"Well, at least you don't have the completely ridiculous notion that you wouldn't be someone's prison bitch. Stop moaning, Moose, you won't get arrested and it's all going to be fine. Now, does your - for you - mild panic mean that you are willing to go with us?" Crowley asked him and Sam opened his eyes to look at Crowley before he gave a weak, shaky smile and nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, why not? Could be fun, right?" Sam asked, sounding just as sure as he felt, which was to say not at all. He didn't have time to dwell on that though before he had an excited Gabriel fling himself onto his lap and roughly rubbing his knuckles over Sam's head, cackling loudly when Sam tried to get out of his grasp and failed.

"We're gonna have an awesome time, Sammy! And hey, you're legal in most of the countries we'll be visiting which makes it even better! No lying about your age! Not that that's ever stopped us before, but there's something to be said about drinking legally. Ooh! We're going to Amsterdam as well! Hey hey! Alcohol isn't the only fun time thing that's legal there! Oh, this is going to be epic!" Gabriel exclaimed excitedly as he mauled Sam, completely ignorant of Sam's desperate attempts to get free and Crowley's exasperated grumblings. Sam eventually just gave up fighting Gabriel and sat there letting the shorter but freakishly strong man do whatever he wanted.

He wasn't dreading this trip at all. Not one bit. Nope.

* * *

Eight weeks later and Sam, Crowley and Gabriel were on the last leg of their trip. Sam was actually sad to see it end, as much as he'd been dreading it and was worried about everything that could go wrong, none of that actually turned out to happen. He'd had one of the most fun filled summers that he could ever remember having, which made him a little guilty considering all the times Dean had gone above and beyond to make Sam's summers a little more exciting and fun for him even with all the travelling and hunting.

But Sam had to admit, this summer was nothing but fun and excitement and everything Sam would have ever wanted for a holiday. And he had Crowley and Gabriel to thank for it all. Sam had seen pieces of art and buildings that he before now he had only ever thought he would read about and see photos of, and he'd had some experiences that he never would have even thought up never mind considered.

He blamed most of those experiences of Gabriel - more so because most of them happened when Crowley had to go off and do whatever it was that had brought them to the country they were in in the first place - but he wouldn't wish they'd never happened either.

Though that incident with the dog in Bucharest could probably do without ever being mentioned ever again.

They were currently in Norway, one of the countries Gabriel had been most excited about, spending the entire flight there telling Sam all about the Norse Gods and Gabriel's favourite one, Loki. Sam understood why the man preferred to be called Loki much more once he heard him talking about the god. The following day they would be leaving Norway for America once more, and in another weeks time, Sam would be returning to college once more. He'd find out, hopefully, when he got back about his dorm assignments and may also learn the name of his new roommate, if he was lucky. He wasn't too sure on that one though.

Still, he wasn't really looking forward to it anymore. If he was given the choice, he'd much rather just spend the rest of his life travelling around with Crowley and Gabriel, learning obscure and interesting facts about ancient relics - though he could possibly have done without learning a couple of things about Michelangelo that Gabriel had told him about - as opposed to going back to a stuffy classroom learning about boring laws.

"Sam! Sam! Where are you?! Sam!" Sam looked up from the book he was reading, having some rare and yet appreciated down time whilst Gabriel and Crowley had both been out doing something Sam hadn't wanted to know about. Sam had quite happily agreed to stay and vegetate in their hotel room - which was one of the most luxurious rooms Sam had ever seen, not counting all the other hotel rooms he had stayed in that summer - whilst the two men were out. Really, it was possibly one of the first times Sam had actually had a chance to just relax and be by himself for the entire eight weeks, which was possibly why he was startled to hear Gabriel's bellowing in the adjoining room.

And really, it was a hotel, where else did Gabriel think Sam was? Wasn't like Sam would be childish enough to actually try and hide from them. Or sad enough. He had better things to do. Like spread out on the ridiculously comfortable and big bed in his and Crowley's room and read.

"In here. You okay, Loki?" Sam called out, remembering and even more willing to call Gabriel Loki now that Sam actually knew more about the actual Loki. Actually, Sam probably knew more about the god than most experts on the Norse Pantheon given all the random and strange tidbits Gabriel had told him.

"I'm fine! Just got back and worried that you'd been kidnapped by those crazy Norwegians! They like their men tall! Grr!" Gabriel added, making jokey claw movements with his hands. Sam laughed at him and dropped his book on the bed next to him, instead moving to sit up, crossing his legs indian style and and patting the mattress next to him in invitation for Gabriel. Who immediately took it and sprawled across the bed, taking up much more room than should have actually been physically possible for a man of his stature.

"So what's up? Have fun doing whatever it was you were doing? You back for the rest of the evening now?" Sam asked spinning to face Gabriel on the bed, resting his elbows on his knees and leaning his chin on his knuckles.

"Yep, back for the evening and it was alright. Family, you know? Figured whilst I was here I should check in," Gabriel said with a nonchalant shrug.

"Family? Are they doing alright? I didn't know you had family here! Explains why you were so hyped up about visiting here even more! Are they close family or like… second cousins twice removed types?" Sam asked eagerly, excited about getting to know the man even more. Over the summer he and Gabriel had grown much closer, getting to know one another better than they had in the short time of knowing one another through Crowley and Sam was quite happy to introduce Gabriel as one of his closest friends now.

"Yeah, you could say they are close. Siblings and such, you know. And they're all doing fine. One of them, Fen, was unimpressed that I hadn't brought you along with me when I mentioned you to them," Gabriel told him with a wry smile. Sam just frowned in confusion and tilted his head.

"You told them about me? _Me_? Why? And why would they want to meet me?" Sam asked, honestly confused by both things. Because he was just Sam. A student that happened to be sleeping with Gabriel's friend and housemate and had been brought along because he would have been homeless otherwise. It didn't really make any sense. He wasn't the most interesting or indeed important of people.

"He thought you sounded amusing and fun. Told him about the small incident in Vatican and he nearly bust a gut laughing. He's a bit odd. Likes things that show someone has guts and he thinks you definitely do. Plus he thinks you must be made of steel to have been able to have survived eight weeks of travelling with me and Crowley. Which he may have a point about. So yeah, he wanted to meet you and was all stroppy and moody that I hadn't brought you along with me," Gabriel told him with amusement shining in his eyes, which only grew when Sam blushed brightly and ducked his head down to hide his embarrassment.

"I think I would have probably disappointed him. Anyway, changing the subject before you make my face explode with embarrassment or something—"

"Aw! But you're so cute when you blush!" Gabriel interrupted, cooing and pinching Sam's cheeks, cackling when it just made Sam's blush deepen even further.

"Shut up. So you visited family huh? That really does sound nice. Are you close? Like keep in touch often and everything?" Sam asked, suddenly really interested in learning all he could about Gabriel's family, wanting to know what other families were like and secretly hoping that they were better than Sam's, not that Sam would really want to change much about his family. Just maybe that their reaction to his going to college.

"Yeah, we're pretty close. We keep in touch as often as we can and when I get a chance I'll visit them. We're spread all over the world really, so it depends on when you get the chance to see them really. What about you, Sammy? You've never actually really mentioned your family to me. Don't you keep in touch with them?" Gabriel asked him and Sam just wrinkled his nose and shrugged before he sighed and picked at the cover on the bed.

"Meh, they weren't too impressed that I wanted to go to college instead of staying in the family business, so I guess you could say that we broke ties. I haven't really heard from them in over a year now so I guess I'm kinda… used to not seeing them anymore," Sam admitted with a shrug and a weak smile, getting a smaller, sympathetic smile back from Gabriel.

"Well that sucks. No one should be ignored just because of their choices, I know that. There are certain parts of my family that didn't agree with some choices in my life and so I lost touch with them you could say. Hurts and it sucks, and as much as you want to say different, you never really let go of the hurt they caused. But, Sam, I can tell you that you learn that it was inevitable and that you probably wouldn't have been happy had you done as they had wished. So don't let it get you too down, though if you think you need someone to talk to about it, then you always know you can talk to me. Crowley too, though he doesn't quite understand family ties," Gabriel told him with a wry smile, which Sam mirrored back at him, and chuckled.

"Very true. I sometimes think Crowley wasn't actually born and was just formed by magic looking like he does now and never actually had a family," Sam told Gabriel, causing the other man to burst into laughter, head thrown back as he clutched his stomach.

"Oh good description! That fits Crowley down to a tee! Brilliant!" Gabriel gasped out, hand slapping down on the mattress as he wiped tears away with his other hand and his loud laughter slowly petered down to chuckles.

"Still, as much as he likes to portray himself as an uncaring bastard, I've found that he's a pretty good listener and he's never actually mocked me when I'm truly feeling upset or anything. I sometimes think it's all a front," Sam said with a smile, getting a sharp look from a strangely serious Gabriel all of a sudden.

"Don't be fooled, Sammy. Crowley _is_ an uncaring, selfish bastard. He only looks out for himself in most cases. But with you, he actually does care. I've never seen it before. Sure I live with him sometimes, but we're not actually anything more than passing acquaintances who can help the other out in some situations. And I've never considered myself to be more than that either. You though, I can honestly say I've never seen Crowley actually care about someone like he seems to with you, so that's something. You're definitely something special, Sammy!" Gabriel finished with a bright smile which just made Sam blush and duck his head, long floppy hair covering most of his blush.

"I'm sure that's not totally true."

"It is, Sam, but it doesn't matter. As long as you're happy and Crowley carries on treating you the way he is, then that's all that matters," Gabriel said with a shrug and in a tone of voice that suggested to Sam that that topic of conversation was over with.

"Huh. So we're heading back to the good old US of A tomorrow then? You sad about leaving here?" Sam asked, deciding on another subject to start up instead. And Gabriel grinned at him, shifting to get more comfortable on the bed.

"I wouldn't say I'm sad to leave Norway, but I'm disappointed that our little journey has got to end for the time being! Though, Kid, let me tell you, Christmas? That's gonna be a whole new adventure for you!" Gabriel promised, winking at Sam and making Sam begin to feel anxious about whatever it was that Gabriel had planned. "But before we can get to Christmas plans, you have to start back at college. Looking forward to it?"

Sam shrugged and fidgeted where he was sitting, "I am, in a way. I mean, I'm looking forward to starting classes again and getting to pick new classes for the semester, but at the same time, I'm sort of dreading going back to living in halls because I don't know who I'm going to get as a roommate this year. I've got a horrible feeling that it's going to be Brady again because I know he's going to be living in halls again like me. So yeah, that's not something I'll be looking forward to. Yet another year of being sexiled and spending ridiculous amounts of time in the library and at work."

"Ah, well that is a good reason to dread going back to college. Tell you what, here," Gabriel shifted a little where he was lying and searched in his pocket for something, before pulling his hand out and handing Sam a key. "Take this, it's a key to our house. You can let yourself in now whether me or Crowley are in or not. That way you're not totally dependent on one of us being home before you can escape."

"I can't take this, Loki. It's… it's not right… Besides, we don't know that I'll be rooming with Brady, so maybe it won't be that bad and I actually will have somewhere to sleep and live without fear that I'll be walking in on something that no one should ever be forced to witness. I'm gay but naked Brady is enough to make me shudder and reconsider ever having sex again."

"Crowley would hunt this Brady guy down if that ever happened. To be honest, I want to hunt Brady down anyway, but still, even if you're right and you don't room with Brady and you do actually get someone who understands that there is more than one person in the room, keep the key. I know Crowley will agree with me on this, so don't think about refusing to take it. Just see it as an insurance policy or something. Back up so to speak. So take it, okay?" Gabriel asked, placing the key in the palm of Sam's hand and then delicately curling Sam's fingers over it. Sam watched Gabriel as he did this and felt his stomach flutter and his heart give a strange little flip, which was immediately followed by a hollow sense of guilt for feeling such a thing about anyone whilst he was with Crowley, never mind someone who appeared to be Crowley's closest friend.

Sam just nibbled on his bottom lip and gave Gabriel a shaky smile as he tightened his grip around the key and took his hand out of Gabriel's grasp. Ignoring any and all feelings other than gratitude towards the other man.

"Thanks, Loki. This is just… seriously, thank you," Sam whispered softly, moving a little so that he could put the key in his pocket, making a mental memo to himself to put the key with his other meagre keys he had when he got the chance. Gabriel just smiled brightly at him and didn't say anything more about the matter, for which Sam was grateful. He decided then that he would ignore that little blip in his emotions, blaming it entirely on just the heat of the moment. He was with Crowley and he had never been happier about a fact.


	7. Year 2, Part 2

Part Two

There were times in Sam's life when he hated being right. When his door to his new dorm room opened the day after Crowley and Gabriel had helped him move his, substantially more than the previous year, stuff and Brady walked in, announcing himself as being Sam's roommate for a second year, Sam realised just how much he hated being right at times.

Because this was just a cruel joke of Fate and she clearly had it in for Sam. Instead of throwing the hissy fit of all hissy fits at the student housing office, Sam just gave a silent suffering sigh and forced a smile on his face.

"Brady! Hey! So we're rooming together again then? Great!" Sam exclaimed, wondering if he sounded as flat and false to Brady as he sounded to himself. However, judging by the bright grin on the other guy's face, Sam would have to say he didn't. Or Brady just ignored it in his own unique way of assuming the world felt grateful to have Brady in their midst.

"I know, it's awesome right?! We're gonna have an excellent year and we can show all these new little Freshies just how we party here in halls! And, Sam, think about all the new meat we can try out! No one says yes quite like a Freshman!" Brady said, dropping the first of what was probably many - yet again - boxes on his bed and walking back out of the room to assumedly get the rest of his stuff. Sam just stared at the part closed door and then groaned out loud and let his head slam back onto his bed. He was actually now very grateful that Gabriel had refused to let him give the key back. He had a feeling he was going to be using it quite a bit.

He was also thankful that Dionne had happily given him his job back when Sam had returned back from Norway and had gone to enquire about possibly reapplying for a job there. He assumed it was possibly because Smythe had graduated the year before and had therefore quit his job permanently, so Dionne had probably been a little desperate in her search to find someone to replace him. Which explained why she had settled for Sam, who did at least know how to use the till and knew the basics of where stuff went. Even if he was a walking disaster area in most everything else.

Sam looked up from where he was feeling sorry for himself and also contemplating running to Crowley and Gabriel's house already when the door opened once more and Brady walked in, followed by a shyly smiling blonde girl who Sam thought possibly looked a little too nice and pretty for Brady to chew up and spit out. Not that Sam would ever actually do anything to prevent that from happening. Because deep, deep down, Sam was a horrible person and too much of a coward to actually stand up to Brady. He wasn't too sure why. He just was.

"Sam! This is Jess, Jess this is my roommate, Sam. He's studying Psychiatry or Medicine or something that takes a stupid amount of time and energy anyway. Jess is in a room down the hall from us, Sam! She offered to help me carry the rest of my stuff up," Brady unnecessarily explained considering Jess was carrying a box and a bag in her hands and Sam was pretty sure that Jess wasn't going to be moving into their room as well and therefore it wasn't her stuff.

"Hi. And it's pre-law. That I'm studying, I mean. Um… nice to meet you!" Sam said with a weak smile, sitting up from his sprawl on his bed and giving a half-hearted wave of greeting at the blonde girl, though he hoped he didn't actually come across as a complete antisocial moron and just maybe semi-antisocial and not a moron. Sam could deal with that quite happily.

"Hi! Great to meet you! I'm kinda nervous about this, you know? And Brady was really nice just, so I thought I'd help him with his stuff and then he mentioned that he was rooming with you for the second year or something, and that I should meet you too as you're really nice. So yeah! I was really nervous about not knowing anyone and not having any friends here, so it's great to meet you!" Jess said in pretty much one breath, making Sam genuinely worry that she would pass out if she didn't take a breath soon. When what Jess had babbled at him filtered through into Sam's mind, he felt a small dip in his stomach at considering actually letting Brady fuck the poor girl up and decided that he should possibly man up a little and not let that happen.

"Well definitely good to meet you and don't worry, like Brady clearly told you, we're pretty much old hats at this now so we can teach you the ins and outs of surviving college. Why don't you put Brady's stuff down and then sit on my bed whilst Brady unpacks and we can get to know each other a bit better and me and Brady can start teaching you what to look out for and which subjects to avoid! What's your major, anyway?" Sam asked, smiling a bit more genuinely at Jess and completely missing the gleam in Brady's eye as he watched the two get on. Jess just smiled even more brightly at him and did as he suggested before bouncing over and perching herself on the end of Sam's bed.

"I haven't actually picked a major yet. I wasn't too sure what I wanted to do and so I figured I'd just… see what I liked doing. There's not much of a rush yet to pick, so… yeah. Is pre-law fun?" Jess asked him, both ignoring the derisive snort that Brady gave at the question as he packed away his stuff. Though Sam couldn't help but agree a little with the sentiment behind it.

"I wouldn't call it fun so much as… sleep-inducing necessity. Still, I'm hoping that this years classes are a little more exciting and gripping than they were last year. And if not, then I hope I don't fall asleep in the lectures. So you're undecided, any ideas on what you think you'll end up doing?" Sam asked, actually surprising himself by being genuinely interested in Jess's answer. Jess shot him a bright smile and wriggled a little to get comfy where she was sitting on his bed.

"Actually, I think I might go down the philosophy or psychology route or something. I don't know. I quite like research studies, so I'll probably end up going for a subject that is more coursework heavy than exam based," Jess told him, and Sam smiled brightly at her as he nodded in agreement, though if asked, he wouldn't have had a clue what she'd just said and possibly now knew what Dean felt like when Sam rambled on to him about… well anything actually. Sam had the tendency to ramble, he was well aware of that.

"Jesus. You two are the life and soul of this party. Come on! I've pretty much unpacked all the important shit. I say we go out and get completely fucked," Brady said interrupting the thrilling conversation Sam was currently having, and admittedly, he could have done it in a less vulgar way, but Sam actually wanted to kiss him for it because it saved him from having to answer Jess about something to do with courses and maybe exams.

"It's four in the afternoon," Sam pointed out, because as much as he was thankful to Brady for the change in subject, he still didn't actually think anywhere was open at this time in the day and if there were places open, it wasn't anywhere he wanted to be. Ever. Even with Crowley. So especially not with Brady.

"So?"

"So… isn't it a bit… early to be considering getting drunk?" Sam asked, getting a small laugh from Jess whilst going by the expression on Brady's face, he had no idea what Sam was going on about.

"It's never too early to get drunk, Sam! See, this is why you were so uptight most of last year! This year I'm going to make it my mission to get you to loosen up some! Jess, you'll help me right?" Brady asked, looking at Jess - who had the expression of a startled rabbit - and grinned when she just nodded mutely. "So it's settled then! This year is when we make Sammy-Boy find out what fun means!"

"Um… I know what fun means…" Sam said, fairly certain that anyone who spends any amount of time with Crowley and Gabriel will soon find out what fun means.

"You don't come across that way. Dude, my grandparents are less uptight than you are! I don't even know if you've ever gotten laid! I've never seen proof of it!" Brady exclaimed, smirking when Sam couldn't help but go bright red, even though he had no idea why as there was no way in hell Sam could ever claim to being a virgin after some of the stuff he'd done with Crowley.

"I'm not a virgin," Sam deadpanned, trying his hardest to try and stop blushing, but pretty much failing given the grin on Brady's face and how Jess was starting to look at him with those gooey eyes that women get when they actually pity the guy they're looking at. And really, Sam pitied himself on a pretty much daily basis, so he didn't need anyone else doing it. Especially not because they thought he was a virgin, when he's really not.

Maybe he should consider coming out of the closet to Brady.

"Whatever, Virgin. We'll get you laid by the end of the semester, I promise. And we'll make a start by going out tonight!" Brady exclaimed, looking like he'd just come up with the most amazing idea ever, and making Sam look at him with wide eyes, before glancing over at Jess to see that she actually looked like she found that to be a good idea.

"Oh! See! Bad luck! I won't be able to. I'm going out in about an hour. Got a friend I need to see. Yeah. So maybe take a rain check on that. Even if I'm not a virgin, that I can promise you," Sam said with a strained smile on his face, patting at his pocket to see if his phone and spare key to Crowley's place were in there.

"Really?" Brady asked, not sounding like he believed Sam in the least, not that Sam blamed him. Because Sam blatantly wasn't telling the truth, though he would technically be going out and would possibly be seeing a friend. So technically it was the truth.

"Really, I'm gonna be meeting up with two guys. People I met at work. I'm gonna be heading to their house later. Sorry, guys," Sam said with a small smile and a sad shake of his head.

"That's a shame, Sam. I guess I should probably get to know my roommate anyway. First day does seem a little soon to be going out," Jess agreed, which just got a scoff from Brady, but Sam knew he wasn't going to agree anyway. Unless that man was either drunk, getting laid or both, then he wasn't happy.

"You haven't met your roommate yet? Do you know anything about them?" Sam asked, fidgeting a little as he felt Brady glance over to them and sigh in a very suffering manner. Really, the man was one hell of an 'oh woe is me' type. Prima donna was coming to mind.

"No, I don't really know much about her actually. I know that her name is Becky or something, but that's about all I know. I don't even know when she will be arriving. Classes don't start for another two days, so it could be any time between then and now, I guess," Jess said with a small shrug as she played with her key in her hands.

"Ah, well fingers crossed that you don't get the roommate from Hell. We really lucked out getting one another for a second year running, didn't we, Sam!" Brady exclaimed, walking over to nudge Sam and smiling brightly at him. Sam gave a nod and a somewhat weaker smile back as he tried to inch away from Brady's boney elbow.

"Yeah, that's true. Heard all sorts of um… horror stories about bad roommates," Sam said, laughing weakly and then rubbing his hand over his face as he tried not to burst into semi-hysterical laughter as he considered just how 'good' of a roommate Brady was.

"Right? I heard some guys last year had roommates that didn't leave their room! I mean, they had to practically throw them out in order to get any action! What the hell kind of behaviour is that, right?" Brady asked and Sam rolled his eyes at Jess, getting a small giggle from her, before he turned a completely false smile to Brady.

"Terrible. Guess we were just lucky, huh?" Sam practically deadpanned, though Brady didn't seem to pick up on it in the least. Jess did however and began to giggle even more, before she coughed and managed to compose herself.

"Wow, you hear about getting roommates like that, but you really don't ever think you'll have it happen to you, or even meet anyone it's happened to. Must really not be nice to live in those conditions," Jess said, sending Sam a small, sympathetic smile and Sam snickered and smiled back at her.

"Yeah, though I always figure if you make friends with their own house or own room at least, then you'll be fine if they let you bunk with them. Or so I'm told," Sam added hastily, grinning innocently when Brady looked at him suspiciously. Brady just shrugged and then nodded his head - ever the thick-skinned moron who wouldn't know a hint if it was anvil-sized and dropped on his head.

Sam wondered if Loki possibly knew of a place he could get something like that. Would certainly make his second year of college much more interesting. And probably peaceful.

"Or, if you go out and pick up someone new each night as well! Always a good tip! Go back to their place if your roommate is already in the room! Course, Virgin-Boy here never sexiled me so I was lucky that way, right, Sam?" Brady said with a bright smile, missing Sam as he went to nudge him once more when Sam quickly dodged out the way.

"Not a virgin, but sure," Sam said through gritted teeth, before he quickly glanced at his watch, not even bothering with subtlety and letting out a loud sigh. "Well, I had really better make a move if I want to get to Crowley's on time."

"Oh, well in that case, I'll walk out with you. See if my roommate has arrived or not! It was really nice meeting you, Brady! We should all go out some time soon! Maybe when we've all settled in!" Jess said eagerly, and Sam mentally groaned, just knowing that he was going to be included in that 'all' and really wouldn't be able to think of any way to get out of it. Sometimes he hated living in halls and being forced to be sociable so that he wasn't some sort of college pariah.

Not that that would have bothered him too much. Crowley had possibly had more influence on Sam than anyone had previously thought. Except maybe Loki.

"Hey! Yeah, good idea, Jess! We'll have to get Sam to go out and have fun at some point! Make him find out what college is actually supposed to be all about!" Brady said with an enthusiastic nod and a leer towards Sam, who just rolled his eyes and stood up from his bed, Jess following close behind and then both went to leave the room.

"I'll possibly be back later tonight, Brady. Though you know the drill if you um… don't want to be disturbed, okay?" Sam said, hand resting on the door knob as he looked at a smirking Brady.

"Sure do, Sam. Have fun in the library!"

"I'm not— oh never mind," Sam grumbled, walking out of the room with Jess following close behind him. They were both silent as the door shut behind them and neither spoke until they'd passed another room.

"He seems… nice?" Jess ventured, not looking like she was too sure of that. Sam couldn't exactly blame her on that front, admittedly.

"Oh he's certainly friendly. I guess," Sam added as he wrinkled his nose, thinking about just how friendly Brady was. If he wanted in your pants. Or wanted you to write his paper for him.

"This is my room. Are you really going to a friends or did you wanna hang out with me for a little longer?" Jess asked, smiling at him as she leant on her door and played with a strand of hair that had come free of her ponytail. Sam fidgeted a little where he stood, having the uncomfortable feeling that Jess was possibly asking for something more than company and Sam bit his lip and gave her a sorry look.

"Ah, I actually am heading to a friends house, yeah. Sorry, Jess, maybe another night?" Sam asked, silently berating himself for making such an offer when that brought a bright smile to Jess' face and she nodded happily.

"Sounds good to me! Have fun at your friends! See you later, Sam!" Jess said,unlocking her door and opening it as Sam stepped away and gave a small wave as he started to make his way towards the elevator.

"Yeah, see you later, Jess. Have a good night!" Sam called over his shoulder and then hastily made his way to leaving the building, not wanting to linger much longer in case anyone else decided he looked friendly enough to strike up a conversation with.

* * *

Sam never actually realised that Brady could be even worse to live with than he had been in their first year - of course, Sam hadn't actually given it too much thought as it wasn't really something Sam had sat done and considered. Had he done so however, then he would have thought that Brady had hit his peak of doucheyness in their first year.

Apparently not, however.

So Sam was now spending most of his time at Crowley and Gabriel's house. And given Crowley apparently did actually have a job, though Sam was still completely unaware as to what it was, then sometimes Sam was either there on his own, or with increasing regularity, Gabriel was there.

Which was another issue Sam was really trying to ignore and not think of. Because he really didn't want to consider the fact that he was starting to have less than platonic feelings for the man who lived with his lover. It really wasn't something that sounded like a good thing.

Of course, given he was practically living in Crowley's house, it also meant that Sam had only actually spoken to Jess another three times since that first day, and classes had started almost a month before.

"So, Sam, what's the issue this year?" Sam yelped and jumped a good inch in the air where he was sitting in the library, studying for an upcoming test when a book was slammed on the table next to him and Janey sat down opposite him at the table. Sam warily looked at her when she just gave him a no-nonsense stare.

"What? No issue! Why do you think there's an issue! And don't say anything about it being a pattern or something, because we haven't known each other long enough for a pattern to emerge!" Sam exclaimed, ducking his head and blushing when Janey just raised an unimpressed eyebrow at him.

"Really? No issue, huh? So you ran into the wall on your way out of class earlier because you're just _that_ clumsy? Sam… we're not gonna have another month of you practically killing people with your adorably clutzy ways again are we? Because I don't honestly think my health insurance covers that kind of damage!" Janey hissed at him, making Sam rear back a little and look at her in alarm, before he blushed and shrugged.

"It's nothing. Honest. Just… something playing on my mind," Sam admitted quietly with a small shrug. He picked at the pages of the book he had been studying from, dog-earing the corners before smoothing them back out again. Then repeating the process all over again.

"You mean, something other than the thrilling world of health and claims law?" Janey asked with a snort as she looked at the book he was reading. Which really, considering she was in his class, Sam had to wonder when she was going to start studying for the test as well.

"Well, yes, that is quite the mind-boggling thought stealer. But no, it's just a… personal issue. Which, alarmingly, for once has nothing to do with Brady. Well, not much. He may have exacerbated the situation that brought me to think these thoughts. But… that's about all…" Sam sighed and shook his head, fidgeting even more with the pages of his book as he avoided looking at Janey.

"Sam? Has something happened between you and your sugar daddy?" Janey asked him, covering his hand with hers to stop him completely ruining the pages.

"He's not my sugar daddy. And well… nothings happened. Just… I don't know. It's all just… ugh," Sam groaned and moved to let his head slam down onto his book, groaning again though it was muffled somewhat by the pages.

"Um… right, so nothings happened between you and your… not-sugar daddy. But it's something to do with that?" Janey ventured and Sam grunted his answer into the book and shrugged his shoulders slightly. "Right, so what? You're not happy with him anymore?

Sam jerked to sit up straight at that and gaped at her, "Course I'm happy with him! He's… he's amazing! And well.. Yes, I'm happy with him okay. That's part of the damn problem!"

"Um… part of the problem is that you're happy? Okay, Sam? You're gonna have to give me more than that, because I'm really confused now and I can't help you if I'm confused."

"Who said anything about needing help? I'm just… quite content to lie here and have a small nervous breakdown. Really, it's quite alright. I'm good with nervous breakdowns. It's what I do," Sam told her, tugging slightly at his hair before letting his head drop back down onto his book once more.

"Ah, Sam. When will you ever learn that that's not what I do? I never let you just wallow in peace because otherwise, where will I get my fun and amusement from? Come on, Sammy. Share with the group. How is your being happy a problem?" Sam sighed and lifted his head up to look at Janey, scrunching up his face when he saw Janey looking at him with badly suppressed amusement.

"It's not a problem but it's… Oh fuck it, I think I have feelings for someone else. But I'm confused, because I'm still so happy with Crowley and well… I think I might even love the guy, but that sounds really crass and ugh and I think he might actually shoot me if I were to actually own up to that," Sam rambled, flailing his arms around as he did and almost taking out a poor freashman - had to be a freshman, seeing as no one else came to Sam's little corner of the library - who had wandered over to look at the books. He soon ran off again with a small yelp as he dodge out of the way of Sam's arms, "sorry!"

"See! See what I mean about you becoming a menace to society when you're nervous?! Sam… what do you mean you might have feelings for someone else? You're not talking about that freshman girl who was hanging around the other week, are you? I know she lives on your floor in halls," Janey said, looking at him and nibbling on her bottom lip.

"What part of 'gay' are you having issues with here? No, I'm not having feelings for Jess. No… actually, it's worse than that," Sam said with a wince, thinking about just how fucked up he was.

"Oh? Who is it then? And when you came out to me all that time ago, I kinda thought maybe you were bi or something and just said you were gay because this was your first relationship. And on that subject, don't forget about that. Sam, we're all allowed to fall out of love. Not all relationships work out," Janey told him softly, not affected in the least by the glare Sam shot her.

"I don't want this relationship to end! I don't even know where these stupid feelings came from! Other than I'm spending more time with him because Brady seems to be going to break his previous years record of how many women he can sleep with. No joke. I swear he's going to install one of the ticket machines soon. I may remove the door and just put a turn-stile in place instead," Sam muttered, getting a snickered giggled from Janey before she smothered her amusement and shot Sam a concerned look instead.

"Sam… Who is it that you're having feelings for?" Janey asked him softly, and Sam groaned, running his hands through his hair and then yanking at it sharply in hopes that he'd maybe wake up from his current nightmare.

"Gabriel. Which sucks because, you know, he's Crowley's friend and housemate," Sam admitted as he cringed at the confession and the look on Janey's face, which basically looked like she didn't know whether to hug him or cackle with glee at the veritable soap opera Sam's life was seemingly turning into.

"Um…"

"You can laugh…" Sam told her with a weary sigh, letting his head dip forward in his hands and he blinked at the book on the table in front of him. Not a chance he was going to get any studying done now, so on top of having feelings for Crowley's housemate, Sam was going to fail a test. Thankfully it wasn't actually going to contribute towards his final grade.

"No… I'm not gonna laugh. But… man, Sammy, you really do know how to pick your crushes. So, any idea what you're going to do?" She asked him gently as though afraid Sam was going to snap and go postal at any moment. Which may actually be true.

"Ignore it? I mean, what can I do? Really? There isn't a lot of options. In fact, there are no options here. Even you have to agree with me on that," Sam muttered with a small weary sigh, letting his head drop a little which made him have to look up through his fringe when Janey made a small noise in the back of her throat.

"Okay, you've got me there. I can't think of anything you can do either. Unless you think they'd both be interested in a three way? Ooh.. That would be hot. Yep," Janey said with a grin and a glazed look in her eyes. Sam just gaped at her, unable to stop a blush from rising as his own mind began to flicker with thoughts that Janey's comment had brought up.

"Janey!" Sam hissed, scrubbing at his cheeks in hopes that he could rub the blush away. "You don't even know what they look like! How would you know it would be hot?"

"You're hot. It's three men together getting all sweaty. I'm not fussy. In fact, I'm really quite depraved. In my mind, it's hot. Admittedly, in my mind it's also you in the middle of Johnny Depp and Brad Pitt. Oh man… I think I need to go change," Janey told him with a wicked grin, which just grew larger and - if possible - even lewder when Sam blushed furiously.

"That's disgusting! I'm very disgusted and feeling a little objectified right now."

"Oh get used to it. Women have to deal with this crap all the time, live a little and let us objectify you back. Think about it as you being pro-feminism or something. Very forward thinking. Perfect for a future lawyer," Janey told him with a firm nod, before she winked at him, smirked and then closed her eyes and gave a very exaggerated groan. "Man, you're a little slut in my head!"

"Janey! Stop it! This isn't helping!"

"You. This isn't helping you. Me on the other hand? This is giving me ideas that'll keep me and Bob occupied for weeks!"

"I really, really don't want to ask this but… who's Bob?" Sam asked, already knowing he was regretting it and when Janey looked at him with a wicked glint in her eyes, he knew for certain.

"Bob? Oh… it's my battery operated boyfriend! Bob for short. It's awesome. You'd love it. It's blue!" Janey told him with a wide grin, cackling when Sam gave her a disturbed look and visibly shuddered.

"This is why I'm gay. Women are insane. How come men are always said to be sex fiends?! It's women that are depraved! You're proof of that!" Sam said with a mini flail of his hands, not actually wanting to take anyone else out given that he still hadn't sorted out his little issue, and didn't look like he ever would. Which did not bode well for the rest of the world.

"Meh, it's women that say men are depraved. We do this so that men don't think about what women actually think about too much. It's all in our plan to take over the world. You're gay, so I can share this with you," Janey added with a small nod. Sam just stared at her, absently wondering if she was possibly telling the truth and deciding that he really didn't want to know either way.

"I… have no words. None. Does Bob have one of those vibration-y bits? No, wait, I don't want to know. I don't know why I asked that. Why did I ask that? This is all your fault! I've lost my freaking mind! You're worse than Dean!" Sam exclaimed, pressing his fists into his eyes in the hopes that this was all just a horrific dream and he'd wake up to none of this conversation ever having happened.

"Ooh, who's Dean? Not another person you have a crush on? Are we adding a fourth person to this theoretical love sandwich?" Janey asked excitedly and Sam actually baulked a little and wondered if he was going to be sick at the images that comment brought up.

"God no! He's my brother! Ugh!" Sam said with a shudder, cringing at his thoughts whilst Janey just stared at him.

"Wait, you have a brother?"

"Yeah…"

"Huh, I thought you were like… a cabbage patch kid who just… formed or something. You never mention any family. Either that or I thought they'd all died in a horrific accident and it would be terribly gauche of me to bring it up."

"Two things. One, a cabbage patch kid?! And two, who says gauche?" Sam asked, looking at Janey and honestly wondering if she'd lost the plot. He'd always suspected but this was possibly solid proof of it. He figured it would be best not to point out that, technically speaking, his mother _had_ died in a horrific accident. Of sorts.

"Gauche is a good word. And also? I've seen your toes! They kinda look like cabbage patch kid toes… admit it," Janey told him, even going so far as to look under the table at Sam's feet, which seemed completely pointless because Sam was wearing boots.

"My toes don't look like cabbage patch kid toes!" Sam exclaimed curling his toes almost out of instinct even though no one could see them. Unless Janey had X-Ray vision, and if she did, Sam had the feeling she'd be staring at something other than his feet.

"Sure they do! All… curled up and tiny… which is weird considering the rest of you. Although… is there another area of you that's tiny, Sam?" Janey asked, looking over at Sam with a leer. Sam just blushed and shook his head, glaring at her furiously.

"No! I'm very proportionate, thank you very much!" Sam huffed and hunched over a little, pouting at her whilst Janey just carried on grinning.

"Prove it."

"No! Stop being perverse! How is this helping me?! You're just making me worse! Now I'm having weird thoughts about being a threesome, worried about women taking over the world and wondering if you're about to molest me or something! My mind is about to go into meltdown!" Sam whined, practically hugging himself as he wrapped his arms around his stomach, and glaring at Janey.

"Aw, poor Sammy. Okay, okay, I'll stop teasing you. But what do you honestly want me to say? Really? I mean that in a non-bitchy way. Tell me what you want to hear and I'll say it," Janey told him, going back to being serious in the face of Sam's distress and Sam just sighed and slumped in his chair.

"Oh I don't know. I think I'm on my own in this one. Maybe if I ignore it, it'll go away?" Sam said hopefully, before groaning when he saw the expression on Janey's face. "Yeah, I didn't think so either. This sucks."

"Totally does. I think you need to talk to Crowley and Gabriel about it. Or at the very least, just talk to Crowley. Because if he notices and you haven't told him? Chances are he's not going to be impressed."

"What, and you think he'll be more impressed if I do tell him?! Come on, Janey! You can't honestly believe that!" Sam said, staring at Janey like she'd grown a new head or something, and not in the least bothered when Janey glared at him before huffing and shrugging her shoulders.

"Well, no, but I figured it was better he find out from you than say, if you fell into bed with this Gabriel guy and Crowley walked in on you both," Janey pointed out and Sam just glared at her before he shrugged.

"I'm pretty sure that were that to happen, then Crowley would just skip any niceties and kill both myself and Gabriel where we were found. And also? That would never happen! Come on! I'm not gonna cheat on Crowley! Especially not with his housemate!" Sam hissed, giving another mini flail of his hands, which probably looked more like spastic flapping, but at least this way there was less chance he'd hit someone with his ridiculously long limbs. He honestly did fear that one day he'd hit someone with his flailing limbs and kill them.

"You know, I'm fairly certain that most people who end up cheating on their partner don't actually go into the relationship thinking that it'll end because they were caught in bed with someone else. Or, you know, maybe not caught in the act, but still found out. You really think those people thought that would ever happen to them? That they would be someone who would cheat?"

"Where are you going with this?" Sam asked, staring at Janey with wide eyes and mentally hoping that his friend wasn't out right saying that Sam was going to cheat on Crowley. Because he wasn't. It had honestly never even crossed his mind. Though that was probably the point Janey was trying to make.

"I'm just saying, that no one ever _thinks_ they're going to cheat, but inevitably, some people do. I'm not saying that you will cheat, just… maybe being honest is the way to go in this situation? But, I mean… I don't know, Sam! I can honestly say I've never been in this position. I'm just trying to help you," Janey told him with a small sigh, and Sam slumped in his seat, feeling guilty for making Janey upset about the whole thing. Really, it was ridiculous and Sam just needed to get over it and move on. He was happy with Crowley and he knew that he would never do anything that might change the relationship he was in.

"I know, sorry. I just… I think it's a phase. Maybe it's just because I've been spending so much time with him recently, so it's just a reaction to that. I dunno. I guess this is just my problem and so I'll have to deal with it on my own. If it helps, I feel a bit better just having spoken to someone about it!" Sam added with a small smile, getting a wider one from Janey.

"Really? That's something then, right? Maybe all you needed was someone to listen to you, let you have a good moan about things?" Janey suggested in a hopeful tone, looking over at Sam with wide, smiling eyes that Sam couldn't help but smile back at, even if he wasn't too sure she was right. Though he did feel better now, he just didn't think this feeling was going to last for too long after he'd left Janey and had time to stew in his thoughts.

"Yeah, I guess. Maybe now that I've talked about it with you, it'll go away? I can hope right?" Sam said with a small smile, which faded when Janey snorted, before she could catch it and she looked at Sam with an apologetic look.

"Sorry, I didn't mean that. I think… maybe if you do ignore it, it'll go away. And if it doesn't go away, then maybe you should talk to Crowley as clearly you're feeling something pretty strong for his housemate and friend, right? So… maybe wait a month or two? See what happens?" Janey suggested and Sam didn't really have any better ideas on what to do so he just sighed explosively and nodded his head.

"Yeah, you're right. If these stupid feelings are still there in a couple of months, then clearly I really do need to talk to Crowley about it. Hell, he might even be able to offer some advice or something. Of course, that doesn't mean that I'm going to tell him before our self imposed deadline," Sam admitted with a small grin, though he didn't really feel all that confident about any of what he and Janey were talking about.

"Fine, fine, you have two months. After that? Then I'm gonna corner you and beat you until you cry. Like a little girl. Because that's what you'll be. A little girl who whines about her issues and doesn't do anything about it. So, you have two months until I totally emasculate you, sound fair?"

"Not really, but what else can I say? All I can do is hope that things sort themselves out," Sam said with a weary sigh, letting his head drop down onto his book once more and groaning when he heard Janey snort once more.

Sam had no idea that several events would happen one after the other that would cause his feelings with Gabriel to be known before his deadline hit him. If he had, he'd probably have wished he'd never jinxed himself.


	8. Year 2, Part 3

Part Three

Almost seven weeks after Sam had had yet another nervous breakdown near Janey, and really, Sam was beginning to wonder if the woman had some sort of sensor that made her know when to pounce on Sam at the most opportune moments that would cause him to breakdown and tell her about all of his current issues, yet even with that and the fact that his self-imposed deadline was coming to an end and Sam hadn't lost any of his inappropriate feelings for Gabriel. Nor did he have any idea how to approach Crowley with this.

Of course, right at this current moment in time, that was the least of his problems as Brady had finally gotten it into his head to 'pop Sam's cherry'. Not personally, Sam would quite possibly throw up and then try to join a monastery were that to have been the case, but still he'd decided that Sam was still lying about not being a virgin - Sam couldn't figure out why it was an issue nor why Brady felt he was the one to rid Sam of his supposed virginity. Though Crowley was highly amused by the mere suggestion that Sam was still a virgin - and would help Sam out with that nasty little issue. Another thing that suggested Brady was going straight to Hell when he died. Sam would mourn his eternally damned soul, but he found he just didn't have the time.

So Sam's current 'Brady' issue, given he didn't have any issue at all with Brady's impending damnation, was that Brady was taking Sam out to get laid - he hadn't given Sam a choice in the matter - and more specifically, Brady had no idea that Sam was a) in a relationship and b) and quite possibly more importantly, gay. This was the most important issue because Brady had gotten it into his thick skull that Sam had an adorable - his words, not Sam's - crush on Jess and had seemingly put it into Jess's head that this was a good thing so tonight would also be the most awkward and uncomfortable date Sam had ever been on. And he'd been forced to go with Dean on one of his dates.

Really, some things could never be erased from the mind.

Sam really didn't want to go out for the night, especially when the entire point of this 'night out' was for Sam to get laid by a girl. Squishy parts included. Sam shuddered at the mere thought and only stopped himself from throwing up a little in his mouth by thinking of Crowley who definitely was not a woman. Of course, Sam thinking of Crowley made Sam think of Gabriel as well and those thoughts were abruptly stopped with a mental curse to Janey for even putting the thoughts there in the first place.

"Sam, dude, stop looking like I'm taking you to your death. Jess is a hot girl and she's into you, so there isn't really any issue that you'll crash and burn. We'll get some alcohol into you and you'll be fine. And then by tomorrow, you'll no longer be a freaky virgin!" Brady told him, roughly smacking Sam on his back and nearly making Sam poke his eye out with the comb he had just been about to run through his hair.

"Thanks, Brady. Really, with your pep talks I feel like I can take over the whole world," Sam muttered sarcastically, though really by now, Sam should have realised that sarcasm rolled off of Brady like water off a ducks back.

"Right? Come on then! You look like the prettiest princess of the ball already, the sooner we head out, the sooner we can get some dutch courage down you!" Brady said brightly with yet another slap to Sam's back. Sam gave a small sigh, dropped his comb on his bed and grabbed his jacket, turning to Brady in a gesture to let him lead the way out.

"We meeting Jess and the others there?" Sam asked, trying not to sound as weary about this night as he was feeling, though he felt he might have failed in that regard.

"Yeah, she's bringing a couple of people from one of her classes along with her, so it should be a good night. Come on, Sam, Joe'll be waiting for us outside!" Now, Sam would have asked who the hell Joe was if he cared and if he didn't think he already had and had just forgotten, so instead he just shrugged his jacket on, patted his pockets to make sure his wallet was there and followed Brady silently from their room and to his impending doom.

* * *

Sam did not feel good. Well, that was a bit of a lie, Sam felt great, but that was possibly part of the issue because he also felt so very very drunk and all he wanted was to have Crowley near him.

And to dance. But that was really hard to do when the walls weren't following the laws of physics and were floating all around the place. So mostly, Sam wanted to find Crowley and snuggle. And for the world to stop spinning, because it was ruining his buzz and making him feel a little nauseous.

"Sam? You alright?" Sam blinked blearily at Jess when she appeared in front of him out of nowhere, Sam then jumped, which was possibly a tiny bit of a delayed reaction, and grinned widely.

"Jess! You're so blonde! It's like… is it natural? It looks natural! How are you? I was gonna… well, I was gonna dance but the walls decided not to stay still, so I thought I'd find a chair and sit down in it. But they're all moving too. You're really blonde, you know that?" Sam added with a sage nod, gently tugging at a lock of Jess's hair and making her giggle at him as she batted his hand away.

"I was going to get another drink, you want one?" She asked him, motioning to the bar that she had been heading towards. Sam shook his head, holding up his own glass and then quickly grabbing on to Jess's shoulder when the world lurched for a second. He blinked slowly and then smiled brightly at Jess.

"I'm good! Brady got me my drink! It's like… really strong! I dunno what's in it," Sam said, looking into the glass as though it would tell him the exact contents of the drink. It didn't.

"Alright then, Sam! You going to be okay?" Jess asked him, looking up at him with a concerned expression. Sam nodded quickly, before he stopped and swayed a little.

"I'm fine! I'm gonna go outside for a little bit. Need some fresh air. It's really hot in here, don't you think? And these walls won't stop moving! It's really quite incon-incum-ink-annoying!" Sam finally said, swaying as he waved the hand that wasn't holding his drink around. Really, he had no idea why everything seemed so… wavy when he'd only had three drinks. He hadn't thought he was that much of a light-weight.

"Sam? Maybe going for some fresh air would be a good idea. Want me to come with you?" Jess asked him and Sam shook his head and staggered to the side a little, bumping into a passing guy and apologising fervently before turning back to Jess.

"No, no! Go get some drink! Drunk! Dri… alcohol!" Sam exclaimed loudly, which got him a cheer from those near enough to here him and made Sam grin goofily into his glass. 'S'really good. M'gonna go. Outside! Want Crowley. M'gonna get my Crowley. Yep."

With that declaration to a very confused Jess, Sam gave a firm nodded and wobbly staggered towards the exit, pouting a little when the bouncer made him give up his glass, but doing so and then leaning on the wall heavily. He giggled when he suddenly found himself sitting on the floor and stroked the wall in a feeble attempt to stand up once more, before he gave up upon the realisation that he couldn't actually feel his legs anymore.

Still giggling - though no longer actually knowing what he was giggling about - Sam groped his pockets for his phone, making a triumphant noise when he finds it. He sticks his tongue out in concentration as he tries to make the screen stop wobbling and blurring and finally just hits the call button and hopes that the last person he dialled wasn't the pizza place. He didn't think they'd redirect his call to Crowley.

"_Hello? Sammy? You alright? Sammy?_" Sam pulled his phone back from his ear, nose wrinkling in confusion as he tried to see who he was calling, because it sounded a lot like Gabriel.

"Loki? S'Sam! I'm Sam! Why've you got Ley's phone? S'it yours too? I feel funny, Loki," Sam mumbled when the world suddenly lurched around him and his stomach gave a lurch in response. Sam's grip on the phone slipped a little at that and he cursed softly when he tried to keep hold of it.

"_Sam? Where are you, Sam? Me and Crowley will come get you if you can tell me,_" Sam blinked and hiccuped, which made him actually drop his phone and he whined, trying to find it again to pick up. He gave a startled yelp and hiccuped again when a hand came to rest on his shoulder.

"Sam?"

"Jess! Dropped ma phone! S'gone! Was callin'… Loki! Oops. Meant ta call Ley…" Sam mumbled, fidgeting a little on the cool ground as he tried his hardest to find his elusive phone.

"I've got it, Sam. Hello? Is this… Loki? Sam said he was ringing you but he's talking about a Lee? This is Jess, a friend of Sam's. He's kinda… well drunk. But he said earlier that he was only going to have a couple of drinks, so I mean… I'm a little concerned about him." Sam blinked up at where Jess was standing, the blurry, fuzzy drunken floating feeling was leaving him, only leaving him feeling cold, shaky and a little nauseous. Though still very drunk. "Oh, we're at a bar near campus. Um… damn, I can't remember the name of— yeah! That's the one! You'll come get him? Good because… I really think he needs to go get some sleep maybe."

Sam slid a little to the side and tried to catch himself before he fell over completely, giggling when he failed and ended him rolling onto his back. He looked up at Jess, who was biting on her bottom lip and frowning in concern as she looked down at him. She moved to crouch next to him and placed a hand on his chest to help her balance.

"Sam? You feeling alright?" She asked him, and Sam smiled goofily up at her before he let his head drop back on to the ground, giving a little 'oof' as his head smacked into the ground. "Sam, the guy you were calling, Loki? He said he'd be coming to fetch you. Said Lee was it?"

"Crowley!"

"Yeah, maybe him, he said that Lee would be with him anyway, so if Lee is Crowley, then he's coming too. So… we're just gonna sit here and wait for them, yeah?"

"Yep! M'sorry, Jess," Sam mumbled, rolling on to his side and patting her knee sloppily before he heavily dropped it on the floor on front of him.

"For what, Sam?"

"T'night. Brady said we'sh'd date. N m'sorry, but can't," Sam mumbled, rubbing the side of his face into the sleeve of his jacket, which he couldn't actually remember putting back on.

"Oh. Um… is it… is it me?" Jess asked and Sam tried to shrug but found he couldn't so he shook his head instead, groaning a little when it just made the dizzy feeling in his head even worse.

"S'not you. M'in relationship. M'gay," Sam added with a small nod, smiling when he thought of Crowley and thus missing Jess's shocked look which she then quickly covered up with a smile when Sam looked at her.

"Really? Huh, I so didn't see that coming. Brady doesn't know, huh?"

"Nope! Don' think 'e'd really 'preciate it. S'not very 'cepting!" Sam told her in a whisper, like he was sharing a secret with her. Jess just smiled and shifted so that she could sit down next to him instead of just crouching.

"No, I don't suppose he is all that accepting. So you're gay, huh? Is this Lee guy your partner?" Jess asked him, shifting to get a bit more comfortable and gently patting Sam's hair, running her fingers through it and smiling when Sam gave a happy sigh.

"S'not Lee. S'Crowley. N' yeah, Crowley's my partner. He's all… grr," Sam made his hands look like claws as he said this and giggled to himself, making growling noises whilst Jess just watched him in amusement.

"Sam?" Jess and Sam both looked up when Sam's name was called out and Sam smiled widely, struggling to get up when he saw Crowley and Loki heading towards where he and Jess were sitting.

"Crowley! Loki!" Sam struggled a little more before Jess helped right him and he finally managed to stand up, stumbling a little and leaning heavily on the wall. He smiled dopily when Crowley reached him and stood in front of him, placing his hands on Sam's face and cursing when Sam just nuzzled his hand.

"You'll make sure he's safe? I don't… I think someone might have spiked his drink. Is he… is he going to be alright?" He heard Jess ask, Sam assuming she was talking to Loki but he didn't move to check, preferring to just smile and lean into Crowley.

"We goin' home?" Sam asked, moving so that he could nuzzle Crowley's neck and smiling against the skin when he felt Crowley wrap an arm around his waist and pull him closer to him.

"Yeah, Moose, we're goin' home. Oi, Trickster! Come on, need to get the Moose back to ours so he can sleep it off," Crowley called out, and Sam giggled softly as he clung to Crowley and gave a playful growl, nipping at the older man's neck.

"I think we're gonna need a lot of alcohol in order to catch up with him," Gabriel said as he walked over to where Crowley was trying to stop Sam groping him in front of the bouncers now sending them suspicious looks.

"We're gonna need something stronger if we want to catch up with MDMA Man here," Crowley grumbled and Sam giggled when it tickled his ear.

"Loooookiiiiiii!" Sam exclaimed, letting go of Crowley with one arm and grabbing on to Gabriel and dragging him in so they looked like a strange group hug.

"Hi, Sam. Um… huh, he's pretty strong for a human," Gabriel observed, which made Sam snicker and let go of Loki so that he could pat the shorter man on the head.

"M'human! So're you! Shh… don' think Cr'ley is coz he's all 'Grr Tea'… M'thinkin Cr'ley's… ENGLISH! Grr," Sam made growling noises and he grinned goofily at Crowley and Gabriel just watched in barely suppressed amusement. Crowley huffed and rolled his eyes.

"You know most English people are human, right?"

"Proof!" Sam declared, before breaking down into giggles and slapping at his legs as though he'd just told the most hilarious thing ever.

"Yeah, Crowley! We demand proof of this supposed claim that the English are human too!" Gabriel crowed loudly, completely ignoring when Crowley glared at him.

"Don't encourage him! Now, Moose, let's get you home before you get us all arrested for indecent exposure or something like that," Crowley grumbled, trying to prevent Sam from falling to the floor completely, seeing as if that happened, they'd never get him back up.

"Home! Is home with you? N' Loki? I like that home. S'fun. With sex! Yay! M'not a virgin. Stupid Brady," Sam mumbled, twisting so that he could press his face into Crowley's neck once more. Crowley snorted and rubbed a hand down Sam's back as he began to lead them away from the club finally, Loki following closely behind them, keeping an eye out for anyone that might be stupid enough to try and attack them and also not wanting to get too close to Sam's grabby hands.

"No, you're definitely not a virgin," Crowley muttered, sighing and looking upwards when he felt Sam grin against him and his hand clumsily grabbed at Crowley's ass.

"M'not! Nope! Ooh! Mr Darcy!" Sam tripped as he tried to curtsey and then broke out, once more, into giggles, though admittedly this time he wasn't alone as Gabriel began to giggle as well and Crowley just started to grumble and mutter under his breath about morons and being surrounded.

"Oi, Pest! You're not helping! Just… let the Moose rest on your head or something and help me get him to the bloody car! And then, when we get home, you can damn well get us some of your 'family's' special brew, to make up for all of this and help us all forget!" Crowley hissed, glaring over Sam's crouched over body at Gabriel who just saluted him and then nodded and did as Crowley suggested. Right down to propping Sam up with an arm on his head.

"Right! Plan to get us drunk, not let the… lightweight touch any or else who knows what he'll get up to. Knowing him, he'll try to fly or something equally as stupid," Gabriel admitted with a small snicker, which only changed into a cackle when Sam perked up at that and looked at Gabriel with wide, slightly glazed eyes.

"I can fly? That's… awesome! Let's fly! M'gonna fly!" Sam started to flap his long arms, managing to hit both Gabriel and Crowley on their heads in the process and making Crowley glance over at Gabriel with a venomous glare.

"Cheers, Moron. Come on, Moose, get in the car. You can't bloody fly, but you can shut up and… bollocks," Gabriel and Sam both stopped what they were doing, which was flapping his arms and encouraging the flapping drunkard respectively, and turned to look at Crowley in confusion at his exclamation.

"Crowley?"

"Um… Why's bollocks? Balls s'easier t'say," Sam added with a sage nod, then began to mutter 'balls' under his breath repeatedly and giggle to himself. Gabriel just turned to look back at Crowley, amusement on his face though he cocked his head in silent question.

"We came in my car. There's only two seats. We really didn't think this through when we came for him, did we?" Crowley muttered, rolling his eyes when he noticed Sam was still muttering and giggling under his breath where he was heavily leaning on the back of Crowley's car.

"Ah, right. Well you take Sammy-Boy back and I'll make my own way back, along with some special brew. Sound good?" Gabriel asked with a wide grin. Crowley narrowed his eyes at Gabriel even as he reached out to snag Sam's sleeve and stop him from wandering off.

"Right. That better be your special brew and not the actual Special Brew. Because that stuff is disgusting, though it will probably get us drunk. It'll also give us rot-gut, no probably about that," Crowley added, nose wrinkling in disgust. Gabriel just laughed and then helped him get Sam - who really wasn't helping anyone and was now muttering about Bobby and balls. Crowley didn't want to know - into the car. It took far longer than it ever should have, but Sam eventually sat in the car, pretty much tied in by the seatbelt, and Crowley walked over to the drivers side and looked at Gabriel over the roof.

"Get him home, I'll be back in a little bit. Need to make a visit to get what we need. Maybe we should try to sober Sam up a bit? Or… just… put him to bed?" Gabriel suggested, glancing down to see that Sam was seemingly entranced by his hands and was waving them about in front of his face. "Try not to kill him, yeah? Or… cause him permanent injury or something. It wouldn't be good."

"Fine, fine. I won't harm him in anyway, mentally or physically. Maybe try to convince him of the wiseness of going to bed and sleeping this off. Bloody humans. We need to find out the culprit of this and string 'em up, can't let 'em think they'll get away with drugging my boy," Crowley told Gabriel as he opened his door, shooting a glance at Sam, who was still fascinated by his hands.

"Your boy? Does he know that he's now yours? But I totally agree with you on finding out who it was that drugged him. I'm thinking it's this Brady guy. This whole night was his idea after all. Sam told me it was the guys way of trying to make Sam act more like a college student or something."

"Right, then we'd better start findin' more out about this Brady. I'll meet you back at the house," Crowley said, and then climbed into the car, only to immediately be dragged into a hug by the handsy Sam. After a brief struggle which left Sam wondering just how strong Crowley actually was, Crowley finally got out of Sam's grip and started the car, leaving the club and Gabriel behind whilst trying to explain to Sam why they couldn't have a quicky in a moving vehicle.

* * *

Sam groaned as he began to wake up, and then groaned again when the first groan made his whole body throb in agony. Thankfully, after the second agonised groan, he learnt that in order to stop the pain, he at the very least, had to stop making any noise. And possibly all movement.

Which proved to be easier than he thought when he realised he wasn't alone in the bed - not too surprising considering he had vague memories of Crowley and Gabriel from the night before so he knew that at some point he was with them, and thus would logically end up in bed with Crowley - but what made him freeze was the fact he was in the middle of two people. Two… naked people. Sam really didn't want to open his eyes.

Though when his stomach gave a startling lurch and pretty much told Sam that this wasn't a threat and he actually was going to throw up any minute, Sam found he didn't have a choice. Sitting up in an instant and slapping his hand over his mouth in a feeble attempt to stop himself vomiting all over… Crowley _and_ Gabriel, Sam clambered over Gabriel and stumbled into the bathroom, door slamming shut behind him as he made it to the toilet just in time.

Whimpering and pathetically grasping on to the side of the toilet, even as he hiccuped and retched into the toilet, not having anything else left to throw up after the first three heaves, Sam pressed his overheated face to the toilet seat, totally not caring at all about how unhygienic it was. Hygiene really had no place in his priorities at that moment, all he knew was that the cold porcelain felt so good against his fevered skin. He heaved again and leant over the toilet, just in case he actually did have something left, Sam groaned weakly and decided to just live out the rest of his days sprawled out against the nice, cool toilet. It gave nice hugs. He could cope with this.

"Sam? You in there?" Sam groaned and spat into the toilet. That was another reason why he didn't want to leave the bathroom. Other than the fact that he honestly didn't think he would be able to stand up ever again without losing whatever contents he had left in his stomach, Sam also didn't want to have to face up to whatever the hell happened last night. Because Sam'll be honest, he doesn't remember anything from the night before except the strange thought that he could fly and English people weren't human.

"Moose? You alright?" Sam whimpered and tightened his hold on the toilet when Crowley's voice joined in Gabriel's on the other side of the door. Which wasn't actually locked, but Sam wasn't going to tell them that. They would probably work it out themselves eventually anyway, but until that point, Sam was going to enjoy suffering alone.

He sighed and rested his cheek on the toilet seat when the two on the other side of the door went silent. He probably should have been worried, but his head hurt enough as it was without adding worry and stress to that. Well, more worry and stress, because Sam wasn't stupid, he knew where some of the aches and twinges in his body came from. However, given there were two naked men in the bed with him when he woke up, what he didn't know what _who_ made him ache and twinge.

Part of him didn't want to know, but the other part really, really wanted to know and was a little bit bitter that he couldn't remember how he got to be in that position in the first place. Really, it was a bit unfair that he couldn't remember what looked to be his first - and probably last - threesome. Life really was cruel to him sometimes.

"Moose, come on, open the door. We need to make sure you're alright, or at least still alive. You were drugged last night, we need to know that you weren't affected in any adverse ways," Crowley called through the door, and Sam winced when it made his headache throb.

"Door's open!" Sam called out before he quickly moved back to the toilet bowl and heaved a couple more times, breathing heavily and feeling exhausted by the time his stomach stopped spasming. He flinched and then winced when that made his whole body ache when he felt someone put a hand on his back and rub. Which also had the unfortunate consequence of reminding Sam of his own naked state. And that the bathroom was actually quite cold.

"Sam? Are you feeling alright?" Crowley whispered, which told Sam just who it was that was rubbing his back and was somehow soothing his upset stomach.

"I want to die."

"Other than that."

"M'fine."

"Good. Do you think you're good to leave the bathroom and get back in to bed? Or should we just bring the duvet in to you?" Crowley asked him, making sure to keep his voice low. Something that Sam greatly appreciated.

"Duvet," Sam groaned, not entirely sure he wanted to leave the safety of the bathroom just yet. If he did, he feared that they'd have to talk about whatever the hell happened the night before and Sam knew that would make him want to be sick all over. He really didn't want to know what was going to happen. Mostly because he was scared he was about to lose Crowley and Gabriel.

"Right, Loki? Grab the duvet, would ya?" Sam heard Gabriel mutter something and assumed it to be an agreement, because seconds later, Sam felt the cover from the bed being tucked around him. Sighing as he snuggled into the warmth of the cover, Sam slumped a little more and decided to just lie down on the floor of the bathroom.

"Sam?" Sam whimpered and absently considered changing his name when Gabriel said it. Drawing the covers up over his head and pressing his cheek to the floor tiles, Sam tried to ignore the two sitting in the bathroom with him. Which was quite difficult to do given Crowley was rubbing his back and Gabriel soon joined them on the floor and moved Sam's legs to rest in his lap. Which made no sense to Sam, but he wasn't going to say anything just in case it reminded them that he was there and could talk. Marginally.

"Moose, do you remember anything about last night?" Crowley asked after they'd stayed sitting/lying on the bathroom floor in silence for a good ten minutes. Sam froze and tugged the blanket covering his head a little so that he could peek under it. Though from how he was lying, he could only see Gabriel sitting leaning against the bath, calmly rubbing Sam's legs. Clearly Gabriel sensed someone looking at him as he looked up and smiled softly at Sam. Sam had no idea how he felt about the fact that Gabriel and probably Crowley too had put on a boxers.

"Not really. Think… I flew? Maybe not," Sam mumbled quietly, curling up a little more under the duvet and giving a little shiver when he felt Crowley tuck the covers around him a little more tightly.

"Right, so you don't remember getting back here or what happened after we collected you from the club?" Crowley asked him and Sam shook his head then quickly stopping and groaning at the pain that small movement caused him.

"You don't remember anything at all?" Sam fidgeted with the covers a little so that he could see Gabriel better when he heard the other man speak up.

"No… But think m'body does," Sam grumbled, shivering once more and bundling up even more under the covers. His body definitely recalled something from last night that left him with the same delicious ache he normally had after a somewhat vigorous night with Crowley. Which wasn't bad thing… except he'd been in bed with Gabriel as well as Crowley and really, Sam just wasn't too sure he even wanted to know.

"Right, maybe we should move back to the bedroom for this conversation," Gabriel suggested softly, looking past Sam to Crowley, whilst Sam just huffed and curled into himself even more. That was not a conversation he wanted to be a part of.

"Wan' stay here," Sam mumbled, curling the cover round his hands and tucking them under his chin. Gabriel just sighed and shook his head whilst he heard Crowley chuckle behind him.

"I have no idea what you're scared of or worried about, but I can tell you that they're unfounded," Crowley muttered, leaning over to look at Sam, and making Sam blush as he tried to hide his face.

"Mebbe. Gon'be'sick!" Sam exclaimed seconds before moving faster than anyone had ever expected him to be able to for a good while and clung to the toilet as he gagged and heaved into it. Sam groaned and spat, wiping at his mouth and slumping next to the toilet weakly.

"Right! So we're not leaving the bathroom for a while then! Great! Brilliant. So we talk in here then?" Gabriel asked, shifting a little where he sat and leaning over to pat Sam's ankle comfortingly. Sam just twitched a little and gave another half-hearted retch into the toilet. He groaned and hugged his stomach as it just strained the muscles there given he didn't have anything left to throw up.

"The idiot's got a point. So we're gonna sit here, talk about what happened last night, let you feel sorry for yourself as you try to expel any remaining organs in your body through your mouth and hopefully leave here with a little peace in our minds about any decision we make," Crowley said, standing up to leave the bathroom and then coming back in moments later with a bottle of water, which he passed to Sam. Sam took a sip and swilled it around his mouth before spitting it out and then took a much need gulp of the water and sighed as it soothed his abused throat.

"M'kay. Wha'appened?" Sam mumbled into the neck of his water bottle, not looking up from it so he wouldn't have to meet either Crowley or Gabriel's stare.

"Right, you're sure you remember nothing at all?" Crowley asked and Sam just knew he and Gabriel had exchanged a look over his shoulder, which really made Sam want to punch one of them. Or both. Maybe both.

"Nothin'," Sam mumbled, possibly a little more petulantly than was required but he was hungover, felt like his head was being split in two, couldn't keep anything down and his ass also hurt. So really, he had free pass to bitch, moan and generally act like a child in any way he wanted.

"Okay then. Short story or long story?" Gabriel asked. Really, Sam thought, it was a little mean that they were clearly ganging up on him and knew that it hurt to breathe never mind move his head so he didn't want to look back and forth between the two like he was at some twisted tennis match.

"Short," Sam muttered, deciding to just close his eyes and press his forehead against the cool porcelain of the toilet seat as it seemed to be the least painful thing to do. And would also allow him to not see the looks on either of the other men's faces.

"Right, short story is we all got very drunk last night - well, you were high - and apparently you're quite handsy when drugged. So after many, many drinks, we seemed to think it a good idea to sleep together. All three of us. With you in the middle. Like a sandwich. Or… a Samwich." Sam groaned at Gabriel's poor attempt at humour and soon found himself throwing up the little water he'd managed to drink.

"Possibly should have put it a little smoother, Trickster," Crowley muttered and Sam almost felt he could hear the eye-roll in that sentence. Crowley had mad skills. "What the blithering idiot means is that last night you admitted that you were attracted to Gabriel, and in our drunken states of mind, thought it would be a wondering thing to all have sex."

"Oh sure, that's smooth!" Gabriel sniped and Sam found himself silently agreeing with him. And would it really hurt his memory to just give him a little sneak peek into what happened the previous night so that he wouldn't be getting any more surprises.

"Skip to the end," Sam muttered, rolling his forehead a little just to see if it helped his headache go away at all. It didn't. Crowley snorting his amusement practically in his ear probably didn't help things either.

"You conked out pretty much as soon as you came, leaving me and Gabriel to finish the job so to speak and then we had a chat about things. Seems that having an incredible orgasm has something of a sobering affect on both of us. Though we were probably still pissed as a fart," Crowley added. Sam groaned loudly and gently turned his head to glare at the man.

No one glared quite as venomously as someone suffering from a hangover whilst hugging a toilet. "_Really_? End!"

"Fine, fine. You turn into such a whiny little brat when you're ill. To cut a long story short, we decided to talk to you about possibly including Gabriel into our relationship. See how things work between us. So? Any thoughts?" Crowley asked him in his typically snarky way that Sam was almost positive British people were born with the ability to do.

"I think my brain is actually dying? Slowly," Sam added, giving a small, pitiful whine just to see if he could get a little more sympathy for his predicament. Given the snickering coming from Gabriel the likelihood of his getting sympathy seems to be very low.

"Right, any thoughts about our proposition? We can deal with your headache in a bit," Crowley told him and Sam pouted, though given he was trying to smother his face in the toilet seat, no one actually saw it. Given that it didn't look like he would be getting any pain killers of any kind until he actually gave some thought to the proposal given by Gabriel and Crowley, Sam decided to force his sluggishly moving mind - which really did hurt, had he mentioned that? - and actually consider what the were asking.

Really, the only problem Sam had with it was if it all went completely wrong and he lost the two closest friends he'd ever made. He was fairly certain that everyone knew he found Gabriel attractive though, so it wasn't like that was ever going to be an issue. Maybe, Sam felt, that he should just take a page out of his brother's book and just go for it. Alright, Dean having a relationship longer than it took to get off with anyway was laughable, but still his brother really did know how to let loose and get what he wanted whenever he wanted.

Sam… Sam had never been able to really do that, so maybe this was his chance. And if they somehow made it work, then Sam would be getting the answer to the problem that had been plaguing him for the past few months now. Just, in Sam's experience, good things never really lasted that long for him. Things were inevitably going to crash and burn he just didn't know when that would be.

Letting out a tiny sigh, Sam pulled back from the toilet seat, pausing when his stomach gave a warning lurch and then turning to lean heavily against the wall next to the toilet so that he could see both Crowley and Gabriel. Both of whom were watching him with an almost hawklike shrewdness.

"Come to a decision?" Gabriel asked him tentatively, and if anything, Gabriel being serious was the thing that finally made Sam make up his mind.

"Yeah. And yeah," Sam said with a small, shy smile. He didn't think he really had any place to still be shy and coy given what he'd done with both these men now, but hey, no one ever said Sam was a logical person.

"Yeah? Yeah you're with us in this? Or yeah you've given it some thought?" Crowley asked, voice tense with barely restrained patience. Sam just turned to look at him fully and smiled a bit brighter, though that smile turned into a grin when Crowley just narrowed his eyes at him.

"I've given it some thought and I think we should give it a try. See if we can make it work at least. Seems stupid to just give up on it ever working without giving it a chance, you know? So, yeah, let's have a relationship between the three of us," Sam said, feeling a blush cover his cheeks when he heard Gabriel give a dirty little chuckle.

"Ah, Sammy, we've totally corrupted you now! You're actually going to have a relationship with two other men. At the same time. In the same bed. Oh, you're deliciously corruptible!" Gabriel exclaimed, moving faster than any man had any right to and quickly straddling Sam's outstretched legs and pressing an enthusiastic kiss to Sam's forehead. "I'd kiss you properly but you kinda smell like something that died three months ago, so I don't really want to find out what you taste like just this minute."

"Which reminds me, we can give you something for your headache now if you want," Crowley said, shooting an exasperated glare at Gabriel - who just ignored it and stayed sitting on Sam's legs - then looking at Sam, who yawned widely and gave a sleepy nod.

"Sounds good. Can we sleep now too? I'm really voting for more sleep," Sam mumbled, letting his head drop forward to rest on Gabriel's shoulder. He figured if the annoying midget was going to molest him, the least he could do was give Sam somewhere to rest his head. Plus, Gabriel was strangely a cooler temperature than both Crowley and the toilet seat. Considering this thought, Sam forced his leadened limbs into moving so he could wrap his arms around Gabriel and just snuggled the man, who seemed to have been shocked into silence.

"Um… Sam?"

"Shh. You're cold. Feels nice," Sam mumbled, nuzzling his face into the side of Gabriel's neck and smiling sleepily when it made Gabriel shiver and give a muffled giggle.

"Christ, Sam, if you want to go to sleep in bed, you're going to have to let go of Gabriel. At least until you're in the damn bed. Then you can snuggle the moron to your hearts content. Don't bother trying to snuggle me though," Crowley grumbled and Sam felt him nudge his thigh with the tip of his foot.

"Don't wanna. You're too warm," Sam told him, though it came out a little muffled given he hadn't moved his face from Gabriel's neck and was actually considering purring and turning into a puddle of content goo when Gabriel started to soothingly brush his fingers through his hair. Sam was sure it was actually helping to ease his headache.

"Come on, Sammy. Let's get you into bed. Hopefully you'll be able to sleep off the rest of your headache. Up we get!" Gabriel urged, standing up from Sam's lap and with the help of Crowley, somehow managing to get Sam standing as well. Though on very wobbly legs.

"Sleep!" Sam crooned softly, swaying a little before getting his bearings and stumbling towards the bedroom. He sensed Crowley and Gabriel following closely behind him, obviously making sure that Sam didn't fall and take himself out on the way down, but gave them no notice as he focused on the bed and made his way too it.

He gave a muffled groan of relief when he practically threw himself on the bed and buried his face into the cool pillow case. He felt the bed dip and little beside him and moved his head slightly, opening an eye to see Gabriel sitting next to him. Sam gave a happy little noise in the back of his throat and grabbed at Gabriel, forcing the pliant man to lie next to him and then snuggling the man. He heard Crowley move around the room, snorting derisively at the two, but really didn't give a damn once Gabriel started to stroke his hair once more.

"Get some sleep, Sammy," he heard Gabriel whisper and nodded minutely into Gabriel's neck, letting sleep pull him down and giving a happy little sigh when the last thing he could remember feeling before dropping into a deep sleep was the covers being pulled over him and Crowley lying on the bed behind him.


	9. Year 2, Part 4

Part Four

After the weekend in which Gabriel joined his and Crowley's relationship, Sam realised that he really probably needed to tell Brady that he was gay and in a relationship at the very least, just so that the annoying man would stop pestering Sam about losing his virginity. Which was clearly why Sam decided to bother Jess and ask her how she thought he should break it to Brady, because either way, Sam knew that the other man wasn't going to take it all that well.

Which was why, eight weeks after he, Crowley and Gabriel had gotten together - just because Sam acknowledged that he needed to do something, didn't mean he was going to do it straight away, plus Christmas break and finals had delayed him as well - Sam stood at the door to Jess and her roommate's room, waiting for Jess to answer so that he could talk to her.

"Sam! What are you doing here? Don't you have work?" Jess asked upon opening her door and seeing Sam there. Sam just shuffled awkwardly where he stood and shook his head.

"Nope, no shift today. Jess? Can we talk about something?" Sam asked, glad that he'd actually decided to make an effort into getting closer to Jess. Amittedly, this was made a lot easier and less awkward now that Jess knew he was gay, in a relationship with a man - she didn't know about Gabriel, though Janey did. His eardrums were still recovering from that encounter - and thus not looking to start one with her. He found it a lot easier to talk to people when they weren't trying to get into his pants.

"Sure thing, Sam. Come on in. You alright? Brady still being his delightfully irritating self?" Jess asked him as she moved aside to let Sam enter her room. Sam gave her a smirk at her question and moved to sit on the end of her bed, kicking his shoes off so that he could draw his knees to his chest.

"You know he is. Don't think that's ever going to change. Have you decided on what you're going to major in yet, by the way?" Sam asked, picking up a Biology text that Jess had clearly been studying from and flipping through it absently before putting it back down and looking at Jess with a smile when she took a seat next to him and hugged a pillow to her chest.

"Don't think I don't know what you're doing, avoiding the subject. But yes, now that you asked, I have decided. I'm thinking of majoring in Chemistry. So now that I've answered, how about you tell me what's bothering you?" Jess asked him with a narrow eyed look. Sam just gave her a sheepish grin and shrugged.

"Nothing's bothering me really. And you say it like I can't just come and catch up! I'm sociable! I can do that!" Sam exclaimed, nodding his head as he did and not even convincing himself of that so probably not convincing Jess either. Given the deadpan look she was giving him, he was right on that front. "Fine, I wanted to talk to you about Brady?"

"What about him?" Jess asked, shifting a little on the bed so that she could face him properly. Sam just gave a small sigh and shrugged his shoulders, picking at a loose thread on the hem of his jeans so that he could avoid meeting Jess's stare. Though he wasn't too sure why.

"I wanted to know if you had any ideas on how I could tell him that, well, you know," Sam mumbled awkwardly, glancing sideways at Jess through his hair and blushing when she saw that she was smirking at him.

"You mean fruity as a fruit fly? Bendy like a curly fry? Batting for the other team-"

"Stop with the euphemisms! Alright, yes, how do I tell Brady all of that?" Sam asked, interrupting Jess before she could carry on spouting off less than PC alternative descriptions of gay. Sam really didn't want to know what else she'd come up with had he not interrupted.

"Fine, fine, I was running out of ideas anyway. So, you think you should let Brady know you're flying the rainbow flag? Sorry! Couldn't resist! How is Crowley by the way?" Jess asked him and Sam rolled his eyes. The budding friendship between Jess and Crowley was disturbing Sam a little bit. If those two ganged up on him, then he had no chance of survival, he just knew it.

"He's fine. Oh, he asked me to give this to you," Sam said, suddenly remembering the reason he finally got around to bothering Jess and having this conversation. He pulled a package wrapped in brown paper and handed it to her, eyeing her nervously when she gave an excitable shriek and practically snatched it from his hands before placing it on her bedside table without opening it. "Do I even want to know?"

"Probably not. It's nothing too illegal!"

"Crowley corrupted you. You used to be so innocent and sweet, I'm sure of it," Sam muttered, shaking his head and grinning at Jess, who just grinned back.

"He's good at corrupting then. So, getting back on topic. Brady. You sure it's a good idea to be telling him? I mean, I don't really know him that well admittedly, but he's never struck me as the most… tolerant of guys," Jess pointed out and Sam couldn't help but agree, sighing loudly and pressing his forehead to his knees.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. But he's driving me up the wall and I don't know how much longer I can go with him calling me a virgin and trying to whore me out to any passing female who so much as sends me a second look. I'm not kidding, Jess! A mother with her toddler smiled at me when I moved to the side to let her pass the other day and Brady asked her if she was single! He's hitting on young mothers for me! I'm never going to be able to leave Crowley's house soon because everyone's gonna either think I'm a male prostitute or desperate! Or some sort of deviant. Either way, I may end up smothering Brady in his sleep. No joke!" Sam was practically shouting by the end of his rant, arms flailing around as he gesticulated wildly. Jess stared at him with wide eyes before she blinked and burst into riotous giggles. Sam just stared for a second or two before joining her. Soon they were leaning on one another, tears running down their faces as their giggles started to finally calm down a little.

"It's getting pretty bad then, huh?" Jess asked him after getting her breath back, though she remained slumped against Sam's shoulder. Sam wasn't too bothered though so he didn't make any effort to move her.

"Understatement," Sam grumbled, sniffing pithily and getting a whiff of whatever fruit scented shampoo she used. "Your hair smells nice. Is it strawberry?"

"Strawberry and kiwi. And thanks. So what is It you wanted to ask me about?" Jess asked him, shuffling to get comfy against Sam's shoulder.

"Just wondered if you think it's a good idea to tell him about me being gay and well… if so, how? Because I think I'd rather do it in a way that won't result in me being punched. So? Ideas?" Sam leaned to the side a little so that he could see Jess's face when she answered.

"I think you should tell him just to get him off your back, but at the same time, I'm worried that he'll make your life even more miserable than he already is when he finds out. So, I don't know. Maybe just let him know that you're seeing someone?" Jess suggested and Sam wrinkled his nose, just knowing that that would bring about a barrage of questions from his nosy roommate about who it was and where they'd met, and unless Sam gave satisfactory answers, Brady would tell him that he didn't believe him. Because Brady was an annoying jerk like that.

"No, I think if I'm gonna tell him I'm seeing someone, then I'm gonna have to tell him the gender of who it is or else he'll just think I'm lying to get him off my back," Sam said with a muffled groan. He let his head drop back against the wall with a dull thump and pouted, feeling utterly miserable and sorry for himself about the whole thing.

"Yeah, you have a point there. Well, just tell him then and if he's a jerk to you, you can always hide out here or at Crowley's, right? And it's not like you spend all that much time there anyway! So, yeah, tell him," Jess advised and Sam nodded, giving a loud, weary sigh and pinching the bridge of his nose as he felt the beginnings of a headache stir up.

"This is going to suck."

"Yep."

"You're no help."

"Nope."

"You suck."

"Yep."

* * *

"Sam! We're going out on the pull tonight, get changed into something hot or whatever and we'll be leaving in about an hour! Might even finally get you from being a pussy to actually getting some!" Sam cringed at both the vulgarity of Brady's words and the images it brought. There was a reason Sam was gay, after all. Well, a reason other than Crowley and his apparent attraction to men who could exert some sort of control over him. And that was an issue he really didn't look too deeply into. For his own peace of mind.

Though, as vulgar and cringe-worthy as Brady's words were, they did give Sam an in to telling Brady about himself. "Brady… I um…" if only he could think of the right words.

"Come on, Sam. Stop being such a bitch! Get ready and we can head out! The other guys will be meeting us there and this time you're gonna be drinking! No more shit about 'not drinking on a school night' either," Brady told him, making a high-pitched voice as he badly imitated Sam. Sam just glared at him and stayed where he was sitting on his bed, arms crossed over his chest.

"Look, Brady, you need to stop trying to whore me out to every woman with a pulse that passes our way. It's embarrassing and kinda pointless," Sam added with a small shrug, uncrossing his arms so that he could play with his sleeve cuffs.

"What? Sex is never pointless, Sam! And you would know that if you were getting any!" Brady sneered. Sam just took a deep breath and refused to snap. He wouldn't snap. It wasn't worth it.

"I don't want to have sex with someone that I don't have any emotional connection with and won't be seeing after the deed is done," Sam explained as calmly as he could, though judging Brady's expression, it wasn't actually getting through the stubborn morons skull.

"Right, that right there proves to me that you're a virgin! No self-respecting man would say that about sex if he'd actually had any! So I'm not gonna take no for an answer! You need to get laid before your dick shrivels up and becomes a pussy." Sam's nose wrinkled in disgust and he shot Brady a withering glare.

"I'm not a virgin, and I'm not going out with you and your friends tonight because I'm going to go round my boyfriends house and get laid by him! Alright? There, I've said it, I'm gay. That's why I don't want to sleep with every female that bumps into me! _That's_ why all of your efforts fail! So will you now get off my back? Sheesh," Sam snapped, grumbling wordlessly under his breath as he shifted on his bed to grab the book he'd been reading having arrived to an empty room for once after his talk with Jess. He only looked up once he had the book opened to the last page he'd been reading. Upon seeing the stunned look on Brady's face, which was slowly turning to something nearer the disgusted range of emotions, Sam wished he hadn't bothered looking up at all. He gave a small sigh and looked warily at Brady when the man opened his mouth.

"You're _gay_?! What? How?"

"How? How am I gay? I find some men sexually appealing? I'm pretty sure that's the how covered. Don't know how to answer the what part. I'm fairly certain you heard me correctly. So there it is. I'm gay. Deal with it. Don't deal with it. I don't really care, just stop throwing women in my path in the hopes we both suddenly lose our minds and fuck on the floor right in front of you," Sam muttered blandly, deciding to just read the book on his lap instead of watching Brady's face steadily grow more and more red. Even if it was a little amusing.

"But… but that's just…. Dude! We sleep in the same room! Aren't there laws against that kind of shit or something?" Brady exclaimed, and Sam couldn't stop himself from looking up and gaping at Brady at those words. Because really it was just plain ridiculous.

"You're joking, right? No, there aren't laws against that, you know why? Because it would be ridiculous to make them! What, you think that because I'm attracted to men that I'm gonna be attracted to all men, lose complete control of my senses and just molest every man who dares sleep in the same vicinity as me?! Are you insane?! Just because you think you're God's gift to women, does not make you God's gift to mankind! Dude! Get your head out of your ass! You're so not my type! Christ!" Sam exclaimed loudly, ignoring when Brady seemed to flinch away from him slightly before glaring even more at Sam, crossing his arms over his chest as though to protect himself from the Big Bad Gay.

"I still think that's something you should have told me!" Brady told him, sneering at Sam when Sam just rolled his eyes and sighed loudly.

"Why? What business is it of yours who I sleep with? I've never asked you about your nighttime habits, so why should I share my own?"

"Because! This is different!"

"How?! How is it different? I'm not attracted to you, homosexuality isn't contagious so you won't catch it from me and most importantly, I'm in a relationship with another man, so it's not like if I was attracted to you, that I'd hit on you! Just to make it clear though, I'm really, really not attracted to you!" Sam exclaimed, grinding his teeth and clenching his hands into fists as he tried to calm himself down and _not_ punch Brady.

"Look, I'm gonna head out. I need to just… get away from you for a bit. Don't wait up," Brady muttered, grabbing his bag and jacket from his bed and then quickly exiting the room without a glance back. Sam just stared straight ahead before letting out a weary sigh as soon as the door slammed shut. Glancing down at him book, Sam watched at the words danced around the page and blurred before he slammed it shut and threw it to the end of his bed. No way was he going to be able to concentrate on reading now.

He fidgeted a little where he was sitting, before huffing loudly and practically launching himself off the bed to grab his bag he stuffed under his bed. Throwing in some random changes of clothes that were clean, he then grabbed all the texts and folders he might need for the rest of his classes that week, shoved them in the bag with his clothes, then grabbed his jacket and left the room. Maybe if he gave Brady some space and stayed with Crowley and Gabriel for the next couple of days, then the man would calm down a little and not attempt to smother Sam in his sleep the next time they were in the same room together.

Yeah, Sam didn't really believe that would happen either, but still it was worth a try. And he'd take any excuse to spend a couple of days staying at the house of his lovers.

* * *

Sam groaned and barely stopped himself from slamming his head into the table as the words blurred in his text book. Rubbing furiously at his tired eyes with his knuckles, and taking a deep sip of his god knows what number energy drink of the day, Sam tried to focus on what he should be studying for his midterms. His fatigue wasn't helped by the fact that it had been almost two months since Sam had come of the closet to Brady and things between them were gradually growing more and more hostile. Sam had no idea how to make things better and if he was honest with himself, he wasn't entirely sure he _wanted_ things to be better.

Well, no, he would like it so that he could safely sleep in his dorm room without fearing that he'd wake up to find a pillow being held over his face or something to that effect. That would be a nice thing to have. However, as things were, he definitely didn't have that, which was why he was back to spending all of his hours either in the library, at work or with Crowley and Gabriel.

And given he really did need to study for his upcoming exams, then staying in a house in which Gabriel and Crowley were living wasn't the greatest idea when one needed silence and to concentrate. So the library was fast becoming his second home once more. Really, Sam was stunned that he hadn't bothered to learn the librarian's name by now. She certainly knew his.

Still, he only had eight more days of studying and exams before spring break started and he could sleep for a week. Preferably between Gabriel and Crowley. Maybe not sleep all the time. But certainly not leave the room. Or even the bed.

With those thoughts crossing his mind, Sam grinned to himself and felt a new burst of energy to help him get through the rest of his studying before he could go back to his room and get a couple of hours sleep before Brady would be back.

"Thought I'd find you here!" Sam jumped and then gave a small, disappointed sigh as he almost literally watched his allocated sleep time decrease as Janey sat down opposite him at what was fast becoming her regular table as much as it was Sam's.

"Hey, Janey. Should you be studying? I know you have exams tomorrow because I do and you're in my class. So? Studying?" Sam asked her and Janey just shrugged and took a tatty, dog-eared notebook out of her bag, throwing it on the table in front of her before grabbing a pen from Sam's case.

"Studying, see. So? How's things. I haven't really had a chance to catch up with you in what seems like ages! We need to gossip!" Janey said with a wicked grin on her face that screamed of trouble and made a shudder go down Sam's spine.

"We have three classes a week with one another and we study right here, in this exact spot almost every afternoon. How is that not catching up?" Sam asked her, tone just as wary as his facial expression was. Janey just shrugged and grinned at him before rummaging in her pockets and plucking out a lollipop and popping it in her mouth once unwrapped. Sam gave her a suspicious stare, once more affirming his decision to never allow her to meet his lovers - particularly Gabriel - when she just cackled at his glare.

"Come on, Sammy! I need to live vicariously through you! I'm not getting any! Hell, it's such a dry spot that it's like the sahara in my pants!" Sam gaped at her and then dramatically began to gag and hack into his book. He quickly stopped, giving a little groaned whimper when Janey just smacked him on the back of his head which resulted in Sam head-butting the desk.

"Ow. And what's so interesting about my life?" Sam asked her, rubbing at his forehead and hoping that he didn't have a stupid red mark there. Though judging by the smug smirk on Janey's face, he did.

"What isn't interesting about it? Come on, Sammy! You're sleeping with two other guys. Older guys. At the same time! What's not interesting about that?! And hot. Did I mention that it was hot? Because I should. It is," Janey stated with a firm nod as though to back up her opinion on this. Not that Sam was going to contradict her. He agreed whole-heartedly.

"Fine, it's hot. But you know I'm not going to give you any details. At all. I don't do that. It's weird," Sam told her, nose wrinkling even as he felt a blush cover his cheeks. He really needed to get a hold on his blushing. It was starting to get a little ridiculous.

"See! I knew you agreed with me on the hotness of your love life! And why the hell won't you share with me? Come on! Don't be such a prude! Let me know what you get up to beneath the sheets! Please!" Janey whined at him. Sam just sighed and shook his head, trying to focus more on the book he should be reading as opposed to Janey's incessant whining and pleading. As amusing as it was.

"Nope. Have you actually done _any_ studying for tomorrows exam? Because you know we won't be allowed to sit near one another and so you won't be able to cheat off of my own exam, right?" Sam pointed out, grinning when that shut Janey up. She stared at him, wide-eyed, for a second or two before grabbing for her notebook and flipping it open to her notes from the beginning to this module. "Thought that might make you change your mind."

"Don't be smug, it's not attractive in the least. And why the hell are we no longer allowed to sit near one another during exams? It's just plain mean!" Janey bitched, reaching over to snatch up one of Sam's highlighter pens and yanking the top off with her teeth and spitting it out as she started to violently highlight useful notes. Sam just paused to watch her, amusement filling him with every jerky strike that Janey made.

"You know why. If you were going to try to cheat off of me, then you should have been more discreet than to just lean over and take my exam away from me," Sam told her blandly. He felt a grin tugging at his lips, so he quickly ducked his head down to hide it. Wouldn't do for Janey to realise that he was laughing at her.

"Yeah? Well… well you could have found a more discreet way in passing it to me instead of squawking loudly and falling out of your chair! Who does that outside of a slapstick?!" Janey asked back snarkily, sticking her tongue out at Sam when he looked up at her. Sam just snickered and shook his head, too amused by the conversation to really be insulted by anything she said.

"Me, apparently. And I wasn't expecting you to just up and take it from me whilst I was still writing down my answers!" Sam pointed out mildly, grinning when he heard Janey give a tiny little growl and only just managed to hold back his laughter at her glare.

"Well you write too slow! We were on a time limit! Come on! How else was I gonna know the answers?"

"Study? Which you really should do now because now we're not allowed to sit near one another. Hell, I think if they could have gotten away with it, they would have made us sit in separate rooms," Sam pointed out, grin not leaving his face even when Janey just glowered at him and then pouted, dropping the highlighter on the table and crossing her arms over her chest.

"We need to come up with a plan that will enable you to help me tomorrow."

"Cheat, you mean?"

"Semantics. Come on, you're the brains in this outfit! You come up with a plan!" Janey whined. Sam smirked at her, before rolling his eyes and shifting forward on his chair.

"Fine, fine. Here's what we could do…"

* * *

Sam gave a loud groan as he collapsed onto Crowley's huge bed - though Sam and Gabriel were working together to convince Crowley that he really needed a bigger one for when all three of them would be sleeping in it together. Hadn't worked so far - and decided that his plan to not leave this bed for the entire spring break was the best plan he'd ever come up with. And that included his plan to get Janey to pass white collar law - which he didn't just take because of Crowley, honest - which went through without a hitch. Even when Janey giggled because the pager vibrated in her bra. Really, the things Sam did for his friend.

"You're going to have to get up at some point for dinner, so don't bother getting too comfy." Sam groaned again at Crowley's words, and convinced his body to move long enough for him to give Crowley the finger. All it got him for his troubles was a chuckle from Crowley before the evil man began to pat at his ankle in an annoying attempt to get him to move. Really, Crowley needed to get down with Sam's plans because Sam was not moving from his spot.

"M'not movin'," Sam mumbled into his pillow, shifting his leg a little to feebly kick out at Crowley. The patting stopped before it started on his other leg. Sam maybe wanted to cry a little. "Lemme'lone!"

"Come on, Moose. Trickster convinced me to order in pizza and wings. And bugger knows how much sweet crap he brought when he went out earlier as well. I'm almost positive he's got enough skittles to fill the bath. Now, you gettin' up or are we gonna be eatin' without you?" Crowley asked him, finally stopped his damned patting but Sam heard his footsteps moving towards the door, so Sam realised the man wasn't joking and would happily eat the delicious food without him.

And Sam had been living on ramen noodles and cold baked beans straight from the tin for the last week. Real food sounded awesome to him right now. Awesome enough for him to even leave the comfort of the bed.

"Fine, fine. You mean, malicious son of a bitch. I'm up. Happy! See? You ruined my plans of never leaving that bed for the next ten days! Now, feed me real food and I might put out," Sam grumbled as he dragged himself from the bed, answering Crowley's chuckle with a venomous glare which actually made Crowley pause and turn to lead him out of the room instead of making a comment like he normally would have. Clearly disappointment and exhaustion teamed together in Sam to make his glares enough to make a possible English Crime Lord think twice about crossing him.

Sam rocked.

"Sammy! Crowley managed to change your mind about the plans to stay in bed all week then? Come, sit! I got meat lovers and vegetarian pizzas, and spicy chicken wings. And also candy!" Gabriel exclaimed, looking over the back of the sofa at Sam when he entered the living room. Sam smiled at him, sending a pout towards Crowley - which just got him an eye roll - before he walked over to Gabriel and jumped over the back of the sofa to land next to him. And thankfully not on top of the food. Gabriel had learnt his lesson to never put food on the couch when Sam was around given his habit of sitting on the couch from the back.

"Hooligan. I don't bloody see why you can't sit on the sofa like any normal person who wasn't raised by apes," Crowley muttered as he walked around the sofa to sit on the recliner.

"Who said I wasn't raised by apes?" Sam asked with a cheeky grin when Crowley glared at him. Sam leant forward and grabbed a slice of veggie pizza and took a bite out of it before Crowley could snark back at him.

"You're the very epitome of the phrase 'dragged up not brought up' aren't you?" Crowley sneered. Sam decided to channel Dean for once and stuck his tongue out before actually swallowing the contents of his mouth, which made Crowley give him a disgusted look whilst Gabriel - who had apparently decided to just sit back at watch the snark-fest - burst into laughter.

"Ah, living with you two never gets old!" Gabriel told them with a cackle, smacking Sam's hand when he went to steal some candy. "Ah, ah! You're a growing boy, you need to eat your… wait, no there's greens on there, you need to eat your greens before you get the good shit!"

"You know, most people would consider drugs of some variety to be the good shit. Only you would think sweets come under that description," Crowley drawled whilst Sam just pouted and moodily bit into another slice of pizza.

"Since when have I been considered to be like most people? The answer's never, if you're having trouble there remembering, old man," Gabriel pointed out with a smirk. Crowley just rolled his eyes and didn't take the bait, whilst Sam snickered to himself and decided to just make a start on his week of relaxation by slumping back into the couch with a happy sigh. "So, Sam! How was the last week? Your roommate still being a moron?"

"Yep. When isn't he? Though he's become increasingly worse since he found out about my sexuality. Jerk. I really hope I'm not rooming with him next year or I might actually snap and shoot him or something. Pretty sure no one will truly care," Sam added musingly, trying to catch the trail of melted cheese that led back to the pizza slice he'd just taken a bite of. He grimaced a little when it snapped and stuck to his chin.

"You think you might have to room with him? Are you really that unlucky?" Crowley asked him, looking like he was barely holing back the eye roll he wanted to give as he noticed Sam fighting - and losing - against the melted cheese. Sam looked up at him and shrugged, swallowing his mouthful of pizza before answering because he knew Crowley would quite possibly withhold sex from him for being disgusting.

"Of course I'm that unlucky," Sam grumbled, looking at the almost finished pizza slice in his hands instead of at Crowley, and then looking at the food on the table. "Maybe wings would be safer."

"Depends on safer. No melted cheese but lots of hot sauce," Gabriel paused and then grinned mischievously at Sam, reaching over and snatching the plate of wings off the table and handing it to Sam. "Here! Get as messy and dirty as you like! I'll lick you all clean when you're done! Crowley might even join in! Help me find all those little nooks and crannies of your body that I might miss! We can't have me missing anywhere now, can we?"

Sam numbly took the plate as Gabriel handed it to him and just gaped at him as he spoke, swallowing heavily as he felt a bolt of lust run through him. Looking over at Crowley showed him that the other man was darkly amused by Sam's reaction. The smirk he sent Sam was enough to make Sam have to hold back a groan - or possibly a whimper - and wonder if there was any discreet way of checking for drool.

"Sam? Anyone home? I think we've broken him, Crowley," Gabriel said, not sounding the least bit upset about this. In fact, Sam would say he was amused by his reaction. Which was the reason Sam shook his head and turned to pout at Gabriel. With his two lovers, if Crowley was the stone-hearted one who wouldn't bat an eyelash when Sam pouted at him, then Gabriel was the one who would bend over backwards to make Sam smile again.

Which is exactly why the plate was soon ripped out of Sam's hands and replaced by Gabriel, who began to rub his arms - grope him - and press little kisses all over his face.

"Don't be upset! I'm not making fun of you! Come on, Sammy! Smile! Show me those gorgeous dimples!" Gabriel cooed between kisses, which just made Crowley snort behind them both and Sam to roll his eyes before smiling widely at Gabriel. He was rewarded for it by Gabriel yanking his head down by his hair and sucking and biting at Sam's lips before kissing him roughly. Sam couldn't honestly say who moaned, but the sound practically vibrated through his body and made him tug Gabriel even closer to him.

"If you two have quite finished eating one another's faces, you wanna be finishin' this stuff you claim to be food? The smells makin' me nauseous," Crowley drawled out at them. Sam pulled back a little from Gabriel, gasping in deep breaths of air whilst Gabriel nibbled down his neck before swiping his tongue back up the trail he'd just made, pressed another kiss to Sam's lips and climbed back off of Sam's lap. Something Sam wasn't entirely down with.

"You ruin all the fun, Crowley. But you have a point, I suppose. Sam, eat up. Gotta have lots of energy for what we have planned for you this week! No leaving the bed, right? That was your plan? I'm sure we can work with that, don't you agree, Crowley?" Gabriel asked, smirking as he handed Sam back his plate.

"I fully agree with that, Trickster. So eat up, Sam. We want to get a start on your plan as soon as possible, right? Sooner you eat, the sooner we can all go get comfortable in the bed." Sam just nodded at him and started to eat the chicken wings, smirking behind one of them before he placed it on the plate and began to suck the sauce off of his fingers, one by one. After all, he couldn't be the only one starting off turned on beyond belief. Wouldn't be fair on the other two. He grinned when Gabriel gave a muffled groan and Crowley just narrowed his eyes at him.

Which was Crowley's main sign that he was turned on. Sam honestly wondered sometimes if Crowley was even human, because the man had control like no one Sam had ever met before. It would be a little impressive if it didn't frustrate Sam to the extreme when he tried to get a rise out of the man. Short of stripping down naked and throwing himself at Crowley, Sam wouldn't actually get more of a reaction than narrowed eyes.

Was still a massive turn on as well though.

Sam fidgeted in his seat as he started on another chicken wing, licking and sucking the sauce from his hands and fingers as he went and smiling innocently as Crowley's eyes narrowed so much, Sam was amazed the man could actually see. He glanced over to see that Gabriel was watching his every move with his hawk-like stare, which made Sam's face flush a little even as he carried on licking at the sauce.

He was actually pretty grateful when he dropped the last wing to the plate and moved it on to the table, he was so hard he was aching as his erection pressed against the zipper of his jeans. He went to lick the last of the sauce off his hand but Gabriel wrapped a hand around his wrist and tugged him over before he could. Sam moaned in shocked arousal when Gabriel then began to lick and nibble at his fingers, sucking off every last drop of sauce on his finger before moving on to the next one.

Sam was so absorbed in Gabriel practically going down on his fingers, that he was startled and jumped a little when Crowley cupped the back of his neck in a firm grip and tugged his head backwards. Sam moved as Crowley wanted him to and moaned once more as his mouth was roughly plundered by Crowley's. He moved his free hand up to clutch at Crowley's hair, whining when Gabriel began to suck and nibble at the pulse point on his wrist. He felt Gabriel's hand start to move up his thigh and cup his erection, pressing and rubbing it, causing Sam's hips to lift into the delicious friction it was creating and his grip in Crowley's hair to tighten.

He pulled back a little from Crowley's lips with a gasp when Gabriel start to kiss and nip at his neck, and Crowley squeezed the hand he had on the back of Sam's neck a little before going back to once more ravaging Sam's mouth. Sam didn't even bother holding back the whine when both of his lovers suddenly pulled back from him, leaving him breathing heavily as he slumped bonelessly on the sofa.

"Wh-what? Why stop?" Sam gasped out, dazedly looking from Gabriel to Crowley and back, noticing that neither man outwardly showed much of a reaction to what they'd just been doing, which struck Sam as highly unfair.

"Bed. Now," Crowley ordered, then turned sharply and headed for the bedroom himself. Sam only had to blink once before he stood up without truly giving any thought to it and quickly stumbled after Crowley, hearing Gabriel following not far behind him.

As soon as he entered the room, he saw Crowley standing by the side of the bed, arms crossed over his chest and staring at Sam like a cat stared at a particularly fat mouse.

"Strip." Sam blinked and then tried to followed Crowley's order as quickly as he could, he felt Gabriel step up behind him and begin to help him, reaching around his waist and undoing his belt before tugging it out the loops whilst Sam yanked his hoodie and t-shirt off. He wanted to moan and arch back into Gabriel when the shorter man unbuttoned his jeans and pushed them down to his thighs before cupping his erection. Instead of stopping and just letting Gabriel do as he wanted with him, Sam quickly pushed his jeans and boxers the rest of the way down before kicking them off and then yanked his socks off with his toes - he had mad skills when horny.

Once naked, he stood there with his hands hanging by his sides, hands twitching to touch something, _anything_, but not moving as Crowley stalked towards him. Moving with liquid-like grace, smirk firmly in place before stopping to stand inches away from Sam. He felt Gabriel withdraw from behind and soon Gabriel was standing to the side, leaning on the dresser. Sam was equal parts aroused and embarrassed as he realised that he was the only one naked and the other two remained fully dressed.

"Get on the bed, in the middle, on your hands and knees," Crowley told him, voice deep and making Sam's knees just want to give out on him so that he could drop to the floor in front of Crowley and just worship him. He didn't. Crowley hadn't told him to do that and let's be fair, whatever Crowley told him to do in that tone of voice, Sam was going to obey. Instead, Sam just nodded and crawled on to the bed, cotton sheets that normally were baby soft feeling rough against his over-sensitised skin. Sam moaned at the over-exposed feeling, just knowing that both men in the room were watching him and he once he was where Crowley had told him to go, he tilted his head to look at his lovers.

Gabriel had moved over to stand in front of Crowley, both to the side of Sam so he could see as they slowly undressed one another, pausing their stripping every garment that was shed so that they could exchange rough, biting kisses and possessive touches with one another, neither one truly taking their attention away from Sam at the same time. The sight made Sam breathless and he just wanted to drop where he was kneeling and rut against the bed for some sort of friction against his throbbing dick, moaning wantonly and arching as he just imagined being in the middle of his two lovers.

Sam's moan grabbed the attention of both Crowley and Gabriel, and Gabriel turned his head, winking at Sam before he slowly dropped to his knees, hands clawing down Crowley's chest before gripping the man's hips. Crowley and Sam both watched then as Gabriel leant forward and unbutton then unzipped Crowley's trousers with his teeth and then pushed the trousers down Crowley's legs. It came a s no surprise to either Sam or Gabriel that Crowley wasn't wearing anything underneath. He never did. Gabriel then sucked down Crowley's erection to the hilt, pulling back an inch or so and then swallowing it down again. Crowley remained silently, but his hands moved to grip Gabriel's hair tightly and he turned his head to lock eyes with Sam.

Gabriel pulled off of Crowley's cock after bobbing his head a few times, and began to lick and suck at it like it was a lollipop, practically forcing a pleased hiss out of Crowley before he tugged Gabriel away from him and to stand. In no time, Sam's lovers were both naked and they moved over to the bed, Gabriel crawled onto the bed to kneel next to Sam's head and stroked his fingers through his hair. Sam was so distracted by the feel of Gabriel's fingers in his hair, that he almost didn't notice Crowley coming to kneel behind him.

Almost.

He whined and arched into the touch when Crowley's overly warm hand came to rest of the small of his back and the sound of a cap opening joined the sounds of heavy breathing and gasps of the room, he then moaned loudly and moved to spread his legs even more when Crowley brought a lubed finger up and started to rub around and over his puckered entrance. Sam tried to press back into the digit, wanting _needing_ to be breached but Crowley's hand on his back prevented him from moving too much.

Before Sam could actually do or say anything about it however, Gabriel moved to kneel in front of him and tugged gently on Sam's hair to get his attention. Sam looked up at him, breathing coming in short, gasping pants. Gabriel wrapped his other hand around his erection and rubbed the tip over Sam's lips.

"Suck." Sam groaned and felt his eyes roll back as they shut in pleasure, then he darted his tongue out to lick at the head and collect the pre-come there before opening his mouth more and sucking the erection in as far as he could without gagging, needing to work up to deep-throating it. He moaned around the cock in his mouth when he finally felt Crowley push a finger into him and slowly start stretching him. Gabriel gripped his neck with his other hand, tracing the outline of his cock along Sam's cheek first, and slowly started to guide Sam's head up and down his erection. Sam could feel drool starting to run down his chin as he relaxed his throat as much as he could to try and swallow around Gabriel, suppressing his gag-reflex and swallowing, running his tongue over the shaft and moaning at the sweet-salty taste that was a teaser for what he would soon have filling his mouth.

He shuddered and arched his back, whining around Gabriel and causing Gabriel's grip in his hair to tighten and his hips to thrust forward, cock pushing further down Sam's throat when Crowley pushed a second finger into him and began to scissor his fingers and rub teasingly over his prostate. By the time Crowley pressed in three fingers, Sam was practically moaning nonstop and Gabriel was shallowly thrusting into his mouth, holding his head in place with a firm grip.

Sam whimpered and gave a small whine when he felt Gabriel pull back almost to the point of pulling out of Sam's mouth and Crowley withdrew his fingers, but only just stopped himself from coming on the spot when Gabriel thrust back in as far as Sam could take him moments later, at the same time as Crowley pushed his own erection into Sam, filling him from both ends.

Both men paused to allow Sam to adjust to being filled, then Crowley pulled back so only the head of his erection was penetrating Sam as soon as Sam clenched around him. When Crowley began to push back into him, hands gripping Sam's hips hard enough that there would be bruises come morning, Gabriel moved back to rest his erection on Sam's lips. They soon began to work in tandem, one thrusting in as the other thrust out, leaving Sam helpless and pinned between them, moaning out his pleasure as loudly as he could around the cock in his mouth.

With Crowley mercilessly hitting his prostate every thrust and Gabriel filling his mouth and rubbing over whatever body part he could reach, Sam knew that he wouldn't last much longer. So when Crowley reached around and grasped Sam's erection in his hand, Sam moaned loudly and felt his thighs begin to shake and quiver.

"Come for us, Sammy." At Gabriel's command, Sam gave a muffled whimper and felt his eyes shut as his orgasm was ripped through him, muscles clench around Crowley and tongue pressing on Gabriel. He was still twitching and shuddering through the end of his orgasm when Gabriel gave a sharp, loud shout and came down Sam's throat, Sam working to swallow every last drop, but feeling some dribble down his mouth. Gabriel pulled his spent cock out of Sam's mouth and leant down to lick at the mess on Sam's chin before thrusting his tongue in Sam's mouth and licking at the taste of himself. Crowley's thrusts became more erratic until he thrust hard into Sam and froze, grunting as he came inside Sam.

As soon as Sam felt Crowley gently pull out, Gabriel pulled back from the kiss and his two lovers ran soothing hands over Sam's body before lying him down on his side on the bed. Sam felt like his whole body had been turned to quivering jelly, and gave a tired but happy sigh when the soiled sheets were tugged from the bed underneath him and he was soon sandwiched between Gabriel and Crowley, a thin blanket covering them.

"Get some sleep, Moose. We've got plans for you when you wake up," Crowley murmured in his ear, brushing his fingers through his hair and making Sam give a yawn and close his eyes, giving in to the sleep tugging at him. His last coherent thought was that he really had the best plans ever.


	10. Year 2, Part 5

Part Five

Sam gave a jaw popping yawn as he sat on the end of Janey's bed, text book on the bed in front of him and a well used and tatty-edged notebook that looked to be almost dripping with black and highlighter pink ink - Janey claiming the blue highlight pen and giving Sam the pink one as he was more effeminate of the two of them - perched on his knee.

"Dunno about you, but I think all this information is no longer sinking in. I think it's time for a break before we get back into it. Plus, I really need coffee round about now," Janey grumbled, yawning and stretching. She gave a satisfied sigh when he back popped, the noise making Sam cringe a little. Sam just stared blankly at the book in front of him for a few seconds longer before admitting defeat and slamming it shut.

"I agree. Coffee is definitely needed if we're going to stay awake long enough to pull an all nighter. I think Connors is trying to kill us off via the medium of too much study, just so that he won't have to grade all the papers and finals," Sam muttered, wincing as his knee caps clicked when he stood up from the bed.

"You might have a point there, but at least this is the last one and then you can move out of the frontline and mooch off your lovers and I can sleep until next year starts. When are you planning on going back to your room, by the way? I mean, you've been sleeping on my floor for the last week and from what you told me, you've either been sleeping at Crowley's house or on Jess' floor. Seriously, when do you ever go to your room?" Sam groaned and shook his head as he followed Janey out of the room so they could go raid the student refectory for whatever caffeine they had available.

"Ugh, I'd rather not talk about it. I don't think I've actually stayed there now since two weeks after spring break. It's really not the nicest of environments to be living in. No joke, he actually flinched when I accidentally brushed against him. So I tend to wait until I know he's not going to be in, grab whatever I'll need for the day or the next couple of days and then either camp out on yours or Jess' floor, or if it's the weekend, then I just go to Crowley and Gabriel's. Which really isn't a hardship at all," Sam added with a smirk, dodging out the way of Janey's fist.

"That reminds me! You really need to tell me what you did over Spring Break! I swear, since you got back from wherever you went, you've been less blushing virgin and more phone sex operator. What happened to innocent little Sammy? I kinda miss him," Janey said with a tiny sigh. Sam snorted and mock glared at her, both dropping their bags into a booth before heading over to get their coffee.

"We should have gone to a diner," Sam grumbled, nose wrinkling as he was suddenly reminded of how nasty the coffee was there. He was still undecided if it was actually watered down gasoline. Certainly tasted like it could be. Probably unleaded.

"Gotta agree with you there. Wanna ditch this place and head to Lacey's round the corner?" Janey asked him. Sam glanced at the front of the queue they were in and then the coffee machine, before coming to this decision and nodding his head furiously.

"Definitely. Ooh, and Lacey loves me and always gives me extra bacon when I get it with pancakes. Let's go!" Sam said, heading back to grab their bags before making a hasty exit, Janey quick on his heels.

Once they arrived at Lacey's and sat in their usual booth, both going here so often that they now thought Lacey - who was a slightly dumpy, middle-aged woman with bright orange hair curly hair - had possibly adopted them as one of her many kids.

"Sam! Janey! How lovely to see you both! You two doing alright? School not dragging you down?" Lacey asked them, coming to take their order almost as soon as they had taken their seats. Sam grinned up at the woman and shook his head.

"Nah, we're good. Studying for our last exam tomorrow afternoon. Then we're free for the summer. We thought we'd come and get our caffeine fix from you before hitting the books again! How's Jim and Bill?" Sam asked, looking away to cast a quick glance at the menu before looking back up. From the corner of his eye he saw Janey smiling and shaking her head at him.

"Oh, you know Jim, he's still complaining about his knee. And Bill's doing fine as well, just coming to the end of final year at grad school. He's already gotten offers from a couple of newspapers. How about you? And you, Janey, you're bein' awfully quiet there," Lacey said, turning to smile warmly at Janey, who just beamed back.

"Ah, I figured I'd let Sam get all his nosiness out of the way before my natural beauty dazzled you into forgetting he was even there. But, since you asked, I'm doing great! Gonna be heading back home for the summer in a couple of days time and I really can't wait! I'm really missing my family," Janey admitted with a sheepish grin. Sam felt his own smile drop a little as he thought of his own family, before shaking his head. No use in thinking of them, if they'd needed or wanted him, then they knew how to get in touch.

"That's perfectly natural, honey! And I'm sure they're missing you something wicked as well. Now, before I get completely carried away with talking to you two, what do you want to order?" Lacey asked them, whipping out her notebook and pencil and looking at them both expectantly. Sam glanced at Janey, who motioned for him to go first as she quickly glanced over the menu.

"Can I have a coffee and a stack of pancakes with a side of bacon, please?" Sam asked, not really having needed to look over the menu given he has the same thing pretty much every time he went there. Plus, he was pretty used to diner food given that's what he was basically raised on.

"Okay, Sweetie. And for you, Janey?" Janey put the menu back in it's stand before looking up at Lacey with a wide smile.

"Coffee for me too, please! And can I have a cheeseburger with your special spicy fries? Thanks!" Janey asked. Lacey noted down the order and then flipped her notebook shut and put it back in her apron.

"That's great. I'll be over with your coffees in a minute, you know the food will follow pretty swiftly. I take it you two will be doing some studying in here too then?" Lacey asked them, nodding at their bags which they had both shoved a couple of books in, though neither one really wanted to make much of an effort to actually take them back out again.

"Yeah, we might as well. The change in scenery might boost our braincells or something," Sam said with a shrug, not sounding entirely enthused about the idea. Given Janey chose that moment to drop her head to the tabletop and groan loudly, she clearly shared his enthusiasm.

"Good job you wanna be a lawyer, not a doctor. I hate studying. It sucks," Janey bitched into the table, arms hanging by her sides loosely as she made no attempt to move. Lacey just smiled indulgently at them both and ruffled Janey's hair before moving as though to go back to the kitchen area.

"Well, you said it's your last one of the year, so you'll do fine, I'm sure. And once it's done, you get a nice long break. I'll make sure that you both have a steady stream of coffee sent your way for as long as you're in here. On the house," Lacey added before she bustled away before either one could try to change her mind about it.

"Free coffee. I've heard of worse things to study for. Hell, I can think of worse things I'd do for free coffee," Janey stated as she sat up from the table. Sam smirked as he noticed the red mark on her forehead and decided to not mention it, instead turning to pull out the book and his notebook that he'd been studying from.

"I've said it before and I'll say it again, I hate Connors. But for free coffee and bacon, I'll put up with the torture he's putting us through."

* * *

He and Janey somehow - though neither one truly could give an answer as to how - managed to get through their last final with pretty decent marks and no cheating on either end and Sam was now back in the room he shared with Brady - hopefully for the last year - looking at his stuff and wondering where to start packing.

He'd spent the night over at Janey's after their final, celebrating a summer of freedom and actually passing all their classes with top marks - well, Sam had top marks, Janey was comfortably resting around the middle of the class - and then he'd helped her pack her things before heading back to his own room.

Which was where he was now. He really didn't want to be, but he knew he had to pack his stuff up before taking it to Crowley and Gabriel's house. And really, he should probably text one of them to ask if they could pick him up. And possibly find out just what they had planned for the summer.

Sighing loudly and dragging a hand through his hair, making it stand up even more than usual, and he dropped to his knees and crawled under his bed, dragging everything that had made it's way under there over the past year and finally pulling out the cardboard boxes that he'd unpacked his belongings from at the beginning of the year. He'd fought to get those damn boxes, no way was he throwing them away. He then made up one of the boxes and sat down to sort out the crap he'd found under his bed. Though he quickly sent a text Crowley's way as an after thought.

He had been packing his stuff for about thirty minutes, and wondering just where the hell half of the stuff had come from and how his possessions seemed to have doubled in the space of nine months, when the door swung open and Brady walked in before freezing in the doorway when he noticed Sam sitting on his bed, sorting through his texts and folders.

"Oh, you're back. You finished for the year then?" Brady asked awkwardly as he took in the packed boxes and what remained for Sam to pack up. Sam just rolled his eyes, not looking up from the pile of books he was organising.

"Yep. Finished for the year and I'll be moving out today. Gonna be picked up in about an hour, so you'll have the room to yourself until you leave. You still got finals or are you finished too?" Sam asked politely, though he still didn't bother to actually look up at Brady, not entirely certain he'd be able to hold himself back from punching the guy in the face should he so much as sneer in his general direction.

"Eh, I've got two more exams until I'm finished for the year. Be heading back home for the summer in a few days time. So, where you gonna be for the summer? You going back home or staying here?" Brady asked him and Sam couldn't help but look up at him, almost certain that the confusion he was feeling was clear on his face because this was the most either had spoken to the other in the past two months. And Sam really hadn't been complaining about that. The less he heard about how Claire on the third floor was like a tiger in bed, the better he was. No one needed to know that much information about one girl's nether regions, least of all a gay man.

"Oh, I'm moving in with my partner and his housemate. For the summer at least. I'll be living in halls again next year, I think. Why'd you ask?" Sam couldn't resist enquiring, mentally grinning when Brady shuffled awkwardly where he was still standing in the doorway at the mention of Crowley. He was still suspicious about why Brady seemed to be so interested in what Sam would be doing that summer. Why would he care? He hadn't exactly made his animosity towards Sam a secret.

"Just wondered. You nearly finished packing then?" Brady asked him, finally moving into the room fully and moving to sit on his bed. Sam wondered absently if Brady was deliberately making the conversation as awkward as possible just to make Sam's final moments with him as painful as possible.

"Almost, just gotta pack up my books and clothes then I'll be out of your hair. Shouldn't take me too long," Sam added, going back to just shoving his books in his final box without bothering to sort them out anymore. The sooner he was done and out of there, the better. He could sort through the ones he wanted to keep and the ones he was gonna take into work, when he was at Crowley's.

"Oh, cool. I'm gonna just go over one of the texts I'll need for my exam tomorrow then, I won't bother you," Brady said, picking up a text as though to prove it, like Sam would think he was lying or something.

The fact that Sam _did_ think Brady was lying because he hadn't ever seen the man crack open a book unless forced to in the two years he'd known the man, was another thing entirely. Sam just shrugged and got up from his bed, taping the box full of books shut and then moving to his wardrobe and pulling out his two large duffel bags that he would shove all his clothes in. He knew exactly where a good eighty percent of his clothes had come from in the past year or so.

Crowley really did have a problem with hand me downs and second hand clothing. He was still adamant that he'd caught fleas from the hoodie of Sam's that he'd burnt. Thankfully, Sam hadn't actually had any emotional attachment to the thing, but still, Sam did not have fleas. He had been kinda insulted at the mere suggestion. Well, he had been until Crowley and Gabriel had then taken him out shopping and bought him a whole new wardrobe and then some.

He definitely wasn't complaining then.

Though now, as he looked at the huge selection of clothes in his wardrobe that he needed to pack, he was beginning to rethink his position on complaining. Because, looking at it, it was going to take him ages, possibly longer than he had. Though, that would actually be quite amusing, for Crowley and/or Gabriel to meet Brady.

On second thoughts, maybe it wasn't the brightest idea. Sam had no idea what either of his partners would do to Brady, but he had an idea that it wouldn't be pleasant and probably wouldn't be legal either. So maybe not.

With that thought, Sam began to just drag his clothes out and shove them into his bags, not caring too much about folding the garments as he figured once he hung them up again in Crowley's wardrobe, then the creases would just fall out. Or at the very least, he could bribe Gabriel to iron them for him. The man would do anything for a bag of Jolly Ranchers. Snickering to himself and not really caring about what Brady might think he's thinking about, Sam carried on packing - or dumping his clothes in a higgledy-piggledy mishmash pile in his bag - and soon found that the seemingly never-ending pile of clothes had all been packed away.

Glancing at Brady and then at the small pile of boxes and his two bags, Sam gave a fleeting-thought to how he was going to shift the pile downstairs without having Brady meet his lovers, before just deciding he'd have to do it in more than one journey. And possibly leave the box of books until last.

With that decided, Sam checked his watch and saw he had fifteen minutes before he would be picked up, then grabbed both his bags and a box that seemed to be the lightest, and then headed for the door, somehow managing to finagle the door open one-handed and without dropping everything, and took his stuff down to the first floor main hallway. Of course, once he dropped the box and bags to the ground, he realised he hadn't quite thought things through as he'd now have to leave his belongings unattended so he could get the remaining two boxes.

"Bollocks," Sam muttered, looking at his things by his feet and nibbling at his bottom lip as he tried to think about what he was going to do now.

"Since when did you curse like a Brit?" Sam jumped as his thoughts were interrupted and turned to see Jess standing next to him, and older couple standing just behind her, looking like she'd just come in from putting her own things in her parents car. Well, Sam assumed the couple behind her were Jess' parents.

"Since Crowley. He's very influential," Sam told her with a sheepish grin, smiling over at the couple behind her and getting friendly smiles back.

"Oh! Right, sorry, this is my mom and dad! Mom, dad, this is Sam. He's in the year above me and kinda took me under his wing to show me the ropes to student life so to speak!" Jess introduced with a wide smile. Sam gave a polite nod and shook Jess' dad's hand when it was offered, before looking back to his bags and absently trying to think what to do. He didn't think anyone would steal his things, but he wasn't too sure he wanted to take the risk. "So what's made you curse?"

"Hmm? Oh, just realised that I need to leave these bags here so I can fetch the rest of my stuff before Crowley arrives to pick me up," Sam told her, running a hand through his hair before he glanced at his watch once more and realised he now only had five minutes tops before his life arrived.

"Ah, well I can wait here with them, if you want! Then you can grab your things and I'll get a chance to catch up with Crowley before I leave for summer! We're all happy that way!" Jess exclaimed, making Sam chuckle and glance at her parents as though to ask for permission to keep their daughter for a little longer.

"I can give you a hand with whatever you have left, if you'd like?" Jess' father offered, which made Sam stare at him in shock before he just smiled widely.

"That'd be great, thanks! I've only got two boxes I need to get, but they're pretty heavy, so I was just gonna get them one at a time. If you're sure you don't mind helping, then that'd be greatly appreciated! Thanks!" Sam said brightly, grinning at Jess before he turned to head back up the stairs to his floor, Jess's father following close behind him.

"So, Jess mentioned you a fair bit when she rang us to check in. I wanted to thank you for watching over her and making sure she was alright and safe. She's my only child and my little girl, so I was a bit worried for her. Stories about you helped to ease both mine and her mother's minds," Jess' father told him as they made their way to Sam's dorm room. Sam could feel a blush begin to cover his face.

"It really wasn't any trouble on my part. Jess is an awesome woman, and I get on with her really well! Amusingly, my roommate thought we were going out at first, but well, yeah, that was soon put to sorts," Sam told him with a small shrug. He really didn't want to go into _why_ he and Jess hadn't been a couple seeing as they were apparently so compatible with one another. That was not a subject he wanted to discuss with the father of one of his friends.

"Oh, yes, I think Jess talked about it with us. Such a shame that your roommate couldn't accept your lifestyle and who you find yourself attracted to." Sam felt his face go bright red at Jess's father's words, and really, he should probably ask the man's name. He paused when he got to the door to his room and hoped that Brady would either be gone - even though Sam hadn't actually seen him leave, so he'd have had to have left out the window - or still involved in his studying.

"Yeah, well, not everyone agrees with that kind of thing and I can't expect to be accepted everywhere. Just wish it hadn't made things awkward for either of us. Ah well," Sam said, looking over his shoulder to smile at the man before opening the door and giving Brady a shaky smile as he walked into the room, grabbing the heaviest box and leaving the lighter one to Jess' father. Of course, as soon as the older man walked into the room, Brady sat up straight and gave him a strange look.

"Sam? Who… is this your um… you know?" Brady asked and Sam gave him a confused look before it dawned on him that Brady knew Sam was seeing an older man and apparently assumed that Jess' father was Crowley. Which was amusing, if you ignored the sheer humiliating factor of it all.

"Oh! No! This is, Jess' father! Um… sorry, I didn't actually get your name," Sam admitted with a sheepish grin as he turned to look at the man, who was watching the two roommates with a barely concealed amused look on his face.

"Sorry! Of course, I'm Neil! My wife's called Angela," Jess' father, Neil, told him with an equally sheepish look on his face, clearly having realised that he hadn't actually given the information up either. Sam just grinned at him and then turned back to Brady.

"Right! Neil, this is Brady, my roommate," Sam finished his introduction with a small, half-hearted wave towards Brady, who looked far more relaxed now that he knew Neil wasn't Sam's partner and was married, so he wasn't gay either. Though technically, Sam supposed, the man could just be in denial. Sam glanced at him out the corner of his eye and shook his head, nope, straight as an arrow. "Anyway, Neil offered to help me with my boxes, so I guess this is it! Good luck with your last couple of exams and have a good summer!"

"Thanks, Sam. And yeah, you too! Maybe we can catch up if I come down during the summer, or something!" Brady told him with a wide smile that Sam didn't trust in the least. In fact, it downright disturbed him a little. Instead of doing or saying anything however, Sam just gave a small nod and shifted the box in his hands to get a better grip and waited for Neil to leave with the other box before following him out.

"So you're going to be staying here for the summer then?" Neil asked him as they made their way back down to Jess and possibly Crowley. He really hoped Crowley didn't do or say anything to scar Jess' mother too deeply. Though given just who Crowley was - or what Sam knew of him as least - then Sam knew he wouldn't be anything less than charming and polite.

"Yeah, I'll be moving in with Crowley and Gabriel. Crowley's my, um… my partner," Sam admitted quietly, thankful that he was walking behind Neil so he didn't have to see the man's expression and Neil wouldn't see the blush covering his face. Though Neil had seemed rather accepting of Sam's sexuality.

"You're not going home to your family then?"

"Um… I'm not really in touch with my family. We er… had a sort of disagreement before I came here and I sorta cut ties with them. Haven't actually spoken to either my dad or my brother since I left two years ago." The truth in Sam's words actually hurt a little as he realised just how long it had been since he'd last spoken to Dean about anything. In fact, he didn't even know if they were still alright. Given the thing they did, there was no knowing what might have happened. Though Sam hoped that someone would get in touch with him to let him know if something truly terrible had happened. He knew Bobby still had his number, and Dean too if he hadn't deleted it as soon as Sam had left.

"That's too bad! I'm glad that you seem to have found good friends here then! Can I ask… was it because of your um… well…" Sam frowned at Neil's stammered question before he realised what the man was - awkwardly - trying to ask him.

"Because I'm gay? No! I didn't actually come out until I met Crowley. So no, I don't even think they know about that part of my life. No we fell out because I didn't want to go into the family business and well, that wasn't acceptable I guess," Sam said, deciding the vague truth was still the truth. No hint of a lie there. Not really. Just no real details. He didn't think Neil would really accept Sam telling him that he was kicked out because he didn't want to salt and burn bodies in graveyards anymore.

"Well, that doesn't strike me as fair, but still, at least you got to do what you want to do, so that's something, right?" Neil said, and Sam snickered silently to himself at the man's seemingly unending optimism. It really was quite amusing.

"True. Oh, I think I hear Crowley speaking, he must have arrived. I hope he hasn't terrified your wife too much," Sam said when he heard the unmistakeable drawl of Crowley drifting up the stairs. He found that he couldn't get rid of the stupid grin on his face at the thought of seeing Crowley again. He felt like he hadn't seen the man for ages. Gabriel had occasionally popped up at wherever Sam happened to be hiding out, be it work, Janey's, the library or Jess' just to make sure that he was alright and not working himself into an early nervous breakdown or something. Crowley however, hadn't been able to meet up with him as his work was particularly heavy around that time. Sam still had no idea what the man did, nor would he ever ask to find out, but apparently it kept him very busy around summer and Christmas times.

"I'm sure she'll be fine. She's pretty tough skinned. Jess takes after her in that respect," Neil told him, laughing as he did so and making Sam chuckle behind him.

"In that case, she's probably getting on quite well with him then. Crowley loves Jess. I think he wants to adopt her though you didn't hear that from me," Sam said with a laugh. He followed Neil down the last flight of stairs and smiled widely when he finally caught sight of Crowley. His smile grew even wider when he noticed Gabriel standing next to Jess, clearly pestering her about something that he wasn't too sure he wanted to know about.

"Sammy! Took your time, didn't you? And you dragged Jess' poor dad into doing part of your dirty work for you! Shame on you, Sammy! Shame on you!" Gabriel mock scolded, just making Sam laugh at him and gratefully drop the box on the floor by his other stuff so that he could grab Gabriel into a hug.

"Shut up, Loki! And what have you been telling Jess and her mom? Nothing too embarrassing, I hope!" Sam said, narrowing his eyes when he looked down at Gabriel, who just smiled innocently at him. "You know that look just makes me more suspicious, right?"

"Trickster, leave Moose alone. Moose, come here!" Crowley grouched, which just got him a bright smile from Sam. Sam happily let go of Gabriel and bounded over to Crowley, probably looking like the puppy everyone claimed he was inside but not caring in the least once he was being hugged and chastely kissed by Crowley. Gentleman that he was, he didn't molest Sam in the presence of two ladies. Sam knew it was actually for Sam's benefit more than anything else, but he appreciated it all the same.

"Missed you," Sam muttered, pressing his face into the side of Crowley's head and frowning a little as he realised that his recent growth spurt was making the height difference between himself and his lovers even more so. Which kinda sucked on the snuggling front.

"Missed you too, Moose. Now, how about we get your things in the car and get you home, yeah? I'd imagine you'll be happy to get some uninterrupted sleep for the first time in weeks," Crowley grumbled, scowling in the direction of the staircase and Brady. Sam just tightened his arms around the man briefly before letting go and turning to face Jess and her parents. He blushed and looked down sheepishly when he saw them all smiling at him like he and Crowley were the cutest things they'd ever seen.

Really they should wipe that look off their faces before Crowley caught sight of it and decided to redecorate the hallways with their blood or something. He was pretty sure Crowley had done stuff like that before. You know, if he really was a Crime Lord.

Sam wondered if it said something about his mental state given the fact that he was studying to be a lawyer and yet he really hoped that his strange ponderings and imaginings over Crowley's secretive lifestyle was actually because Crowley was the leader of a crime gang in London. Because really, that would be hot. Sam wouldn't want to see the kind of things they did like the torture side of things, because he felt that would probably make him pretty sick, pretty quickly, but still, being the leader of a lethal and infamous gang - well, it was in Sam's head - would be incredibly hot. Yep.

"Your boyfriend, Crowley was it? He's been very charming, don't worry, Sam!" Jess's mother, Angela? Sam was fairly certain It was Angela.

"Yes, he's pretty charming, isn't he?" Sam said, shooting a cheeky grin and wink over his shoulder at Crowley, who was grumbling good-naturedly under his breath. Everyone clearly decided it would be best to just ignore Gabriel snickering to himself by the doorway.

"Mom's a little in love with him! He dazzled her with his Brit wit," Jess told him with a giggle, which just got even more uncontrollable when her mum swatted the back of her head and blushed, avoiding looking in anyone's eyes.

"He has that affect on everyone, I wouldn't worry about it. It's the main reason why he got lumbered with me! Well, that and his annoying habit of rearranging the books in the shop I work in. Somehow, that got my interest," Sam told them, grinning widely as he recalled the look on Emily's face when she'd first found the Bible moved to the fantasy section of the store. Really, it was quite amusing if you ignored the fact that it nearly lost him his job.

"Oh dear, that sounds like quite the story! It's a shame we don't really have time to go out to dinner with you three, but sadly we have to make a start on heading back home fairly soon so that we'll get there before it gets too late. We don't really want to spend the night in a motel when we don't need to," Angela - he was pretty sure it was Angela - told them, actually sounding genuinely disappointed about the fact. Sam was actually a little shocked that they had even considered spending more time with him, Crowley and Gabriel. Though he really shouldn't have been really. Both men could be freakishly charming when they put their minds to it and thought it would get them something. Or make Sam feel better and more at ease in a situation.

"Quite understandable! And maybe we can organise to have a meal together when you bring Jess up in September? We can make sure we all have the time to do so. It'd be nice to get to know each other a little more," Crowley stated, stepping up to stand next to Sam and wrap an arm around his waist.

"That's a brilliant idea, Mr…"

"Crowley, mate, just call me Crowley," Crowley told Neil with a grin, getting a smaller smile from Neil who just nodded.

"Right, well then, I think we can arrange something for when we bring Jess back. I assume that Sam and Jess have each other's numbers, so they can text each other the details and work everything out nearer the time. It was great meeting you, and thank you again, Sam for watching out for Jess. We really should be off though, we only came back in for Jess to drop her key off in the office."

"I'll text Jess nearer the start of term then. Have a good summer, Jess and see you in a couple of months time!" Sam said, hugging Jess and then moving back to grab his bags and a box, Crowley and Gabriel bother grabbing a box each as well. Sam noted that both had taken the heaviest of the boxes, leaving Sam with the one full of stationary and the odd notebook. Not that Sam was complaining, in fact he was quite grateful to them.

"We'll be following you out! Was great meeting you though!" Gabriel told Jess and her parents as they all exited the building. Sam followed behind Crowley, not knowing where he'd parked the car, and almost walking into his back when he stopped.

"We're parked that way, so maybe speak to you soon. Have a good summer, Jessica," Crowley said, having tilted his head in the direction opposite to where Jess seemed to be going.

"Right! Have a good summer, Sam! Text me to let me know how you are and to catch up! See you in September!" Jess called out as she started to walk away behind her parents, Sam nodded instead of trying to wave with hands full and turned to follow behind Crowley and Gabriel.

They walked in silence until they got to the car, which was a large black SUV that Sam couldn't actually recall having ever seen before and he now wondered why the hell they'd never used it before now.

"You two really want to go out for a meal with Jess and her parents? Really?" Sam deadpanned once he'd dumped his box and bags in the back of the car and climbed into the backseat, letting Gabriel take the front passenger seat. Really, it was more for selfish reasons so that he could stretch his legs out across the backseat.

"What? We can be sociable and shit like that! Who says we can't?" Gabriel asked, looking back at Sam and pouting when Sam just stared at him blankly.

"Uh huh. Right. Sure. Crowley? You gonna claim to be sociable as well?"

"Fuck no, Moose. I did that all for you. I couldn't give a witch's twat if I saw them again. Though that Jess is quite amusing. I wouldn't mind if she stuck around. Moose, we did it for you. If you want to get people to like you and that shit, then we'll do whatever we can to help you in that," Crowley told him as he pulled out of the carpark and headed back to home. And Sam couldn't stop the happy flipflop in his stomach at being able to call Crowley and Gabriel's place home.

"You don't have to do anything like that for me! Seriously, don't force yourselves into awkward, ncomfortable situations just so you can make me happy! Because in the long run, it's not gonna make me happy, so it'll have been pointless, you know?" Sam told them, fidgeting as he realised just how uncomfortable the thought of Crowley and Gabriel doing anything just to please him. He had enough of sacrificing natures with his brother, he didn't want his partners to go down the same route.

"Fine, fine. No need to get your knickers in a twist," Crowley grumbled, not taking his eyes off the road in front of him but Sam knew the man was scowling, eyebrows furrowed enough that Sam would be amazed he could actually see at all.

"Good. Glad we've settled that. And I'm not wearing knickers," Sam added, just knowing if he didn't clarify, Gabriel would ask him if he was.

"You should. You should definitely wear women's underwear. That would be so very hot. Seeing you squirm and fidget in your seat because the lace was rubbing against you and creating delicious friction. Definitely need to carry that out. Soon," Gabriel added with a firm nod. Sam just gaped at him, then gaped at Crowley when the man chuckled and nodded his agreement to Gabriel's insane plan.

"No! I'm not wearing women's panties! No way, no how!"

"Aw, don't be so petty, Sammy. It'll be fun!"

"No! End of subject. So instead, what plans do we have for the summer? I know you two, I know you've got something planned. For one, Loki's been living in one place without disappearing for months at a time for almost a year now, so he's going to be twitchy. And well… you two always have plans. Always. Even when there's no need for plans. Like that time we went out for a meal for my birthday. There was no need for a plan of action should there be a police raid so that we would avoid me getting busted for being underage. It's ridiculous," Sam muttered, blushing when he realised he'd gotten a little carried away with his rant, but shrugging and figuring it was necessary.

"Huh, you're good. Freakish in your observant ways, but good. We have plans. You're right, we always have plans. Crowley? You wanna let him know, or should I?" Gabriel asked, looking over at Crowley with a grin, before looking back to Sam and smirking at Sam's wary look.

"You can do it."

"Good! We're going on a roadtrip! I've never been on a proper one and Crowley's never been on one full stop. So… roadtrip! Motels, crappy diner food, weird ass sightseeing things. Is there really a world's largest ball of twine?"

"I think there's like, three," Sam admitted with a shrug, not too sure of that fact, but almost certain he'd read it somewhere. He'd seen one at least five times. "You do know that my whole life before Stanford was basically one long road trip, right?"

"Sure, sure, but you didn't actually get to see anything fun! You just… well, I have no idea what you did, you haven't told us why you were dragged around the country in the first place. But still, you'll have a whole new experience with us!" Gabriel assured him. Sam stared at him before sighing and rolling his eyes, grin tugging at his lips as he took in Gabriel's almost childlike excitement.

"Fine, when do we leave for this trip?" Sam asked, chuckling when Gabriel cheered at Sam's agreement to go with them on the trip.

"In a couple of days. It'll give you time to tell your boss that you'll be taking time off again this summer and also give us time to pack anything we might need. Of course, we can just buy whatever we don't have with us at the time of needing it, but still, would be wise to at least pack clothing," Crowley told him. When Crowley said 'clothing', Sam took him to mean 'lube'. The look in Crowley's eyes when he caught them in the rear-view mirror told him that he was right in that assumption.

"Fine, fine. It could be fun. Plus it'll be nice not to have to work away my summer," Sam added, grinning as he realised he was beginning to get into the plan more and more. Gabriel was right, he hadn't really gotten to see the major cities and touristy things, so it'd be new for him too. Of course it was almost impossible not to get excited when Gabriel was around. Sam grinned to himself as he settled back into the overly comfy seat in the car as he realised just how much he was starting to look forward to going on a roadtrip with Gabriel and Crowley.


	11. Year 3, Part 1

Year three

Part One

Sam gave a pained groan from his seat next to Gabriel in the back of Crowley's ridiculously spacious SUV and leaned to the side to rest his head on Gabriel's shoulder. Gabriel snickered and patted his head before going back to the reason for Sam's groaning.

"No one forced you to eat all that salt-water taffy. In fact Crowley threatened you if you threw up because of the amounts you were shoving in your mouth, so really, you have no one to blame your stomachache on other than yourself," Gabriel told him in an entirely unsympathetic tone but did brush his fingers through Sam's hair which lessened the blow a little. Didn't do much for his stomach though.

"It was so nice!" Sam groaned, shifting so that he could press his face into Gabriel's neck. Only to grumble when he couldn't get quite comfortable. "You're too short."

"You're too tall! Hey! We're all bitchy. Clearly Crowley's been rubbing off on us in less sexy ways as well," Gabriel announced cheerfully, which completely belied what he was saying.

"Neither of you will ever reach my levels of sheer malice, don't even bother," Crowley told them from the front. Sam snickered and then sat up and looked out of the window at the passing scenery.

"So where are we actually heading for now? I mean, we've got, what? Two weeks left until I have to be back at Stanford? Do you have a plan of where else to go?" Sam asked, getting an idea when he saw where they were on a passing sign.

"Nope, no plans. We were kinda just winging it. Why, do you have any ideas on where you want to go?" Gabriel asked him, grinning as he rustled through the empty wrappers for more taffy and Sam just stared at him with a slightly nauseous expression on his face.

"Well… I was kinda wondering… see, we're in South Dakota, right? So well… do you think we could possibly stop at an old family friend's house to visit? I mean, not for too long. I doubt Bobby would be too happy if we stayed for too long, but I just thought it'd be nice to see someone that I consider family. You know? Plus, he might be able to tell me how my brother is. I think I'm kinda getting a little homesick. Well, Dean-sick. I don't know. I miss him," Sam admitted quietly, still staring at the scenery that was passing them by. The other two men in the car were silent for a moment or two, obviously deciding whether or not to agree to Sam's request.

It was a sigh from Crowley that broke the silence minutes later, causing both Sam and Gabriel to look over at him curiously. "This bloke, he your Uncle Bobby that you've mentioned a time or two?"

"Um… yeah. Bobby Singer," Sam said in a cautious voice, staring at the back of Crowley's head then looking over at Gabriel, who just shrugged and they both turned their attention back to Crowley.

"Right, so where's he live then? I don't really see much reason as to why we can't go see him. He's your family, so if you think he'll be happy to see you, then we can go visit," Crowley said finally, after making Sam and Gabriel practically fall of their seats as they waited for the man's answer. Though why Gabriel was curious was beyond Sam's knowledge. As far as he knew, this whole trip had been equally planned between Crowley _and_ Gabriel.

"Really? That's awesome! Thank you!" Sam exclaimed, having decided to just ignore the fact that apparently even Gabriel listened to Crowley in this relationship. Sam stopped that thought right then and looked up to catch Crowley's eye in the mirror. "Um…"

"What now, Moose?"

"Do we tell Bobby about us? I mean, all three of us us?" Sam asked, nibbling his lip and looking to Gabriel to see if he had the answer.

"Do you think he'd be okay with it?" Gabriel asked him, once again showing that he knew exactly when to drop his 'Trickster' persona and actually take things seriously. Normally, Sam had observed, the man only did it when he thought Sam needed to have a serious conversation.

Sam paused before actually answering, realising he wasn't too sure what Bobby would think about his current relationship. Though, of all the people Sam had met in his life, Bobby Singer seemed to be the most accepting and laid-back of the lot. "Um… he'd probably be shocked, but all in all, he may possibly be accepting of it. I mean… I dunno, I just want to tell him. No idea why, I just do. Maybe it's because I just want someone in my family to know, maybe?"

"Sounds like a reasonable request to me. So we let him know just what we are to you then? And I get to protect Crowley from the big bad father-figure in your life, right?" Gabriel asked him with a wicked smirk, which grew even wider when Crowley looked over his shoulder to glare at him. Though, even with the smirk, Sam couldn't help but think that there was an extra weight behind the words, for the life of him, however, he couldn't work out what that might mean.

"More like I'll be protecting you, Trickster," Crowley grumbled, making Sam snicker and ignore the fake wounded look that Gabriel shot him for clearly not taking his side on things. Sam just stuck his tongue out at him and snickered at the affronted look this got him.

"Bah! You're the demon of this relationship! Hell, I'm angelic!"

"Just because you're called Gabriel does _not_ make you an angel, sorry to say," Sam said with a mock sad look, laughing as he ducked out the way of the swat Gabriel aimed at his head. "Actually, that reminds me. Um… Bobby is kinda, well… he's a bit of a paranoid old drunk and well, he sorta believes in things like demons and such, so… think we could cut back on the supernatural related nicknames? Including Loki? Because I really don't wanna get shot as soon as you two start bickering about something petty."

"So no calling Gabriel 'Loki' or 'Trickster'? And no calling me a demon every time Gabriel doesn't get his own way? I can work with that. And if your uncle looks like he thinks I should have a first name, then tell him it's Aleister," Crowley told them. Sam looked up and stared at the back of Crowley's head in confusion and not just a little shock.

"Is it your first name?" Sam asked, unable to let the subject go now that the man had brought it up. Sam had always wondered if Crowley was his first name or surname, or even his real name at all, and now he actually had the chance to find out he wasn't going to drop it.

"You going to start calling me it?"

"Um… maybe?"

"Then no, it's not my real name. It'll do in a pinch though, so use it. And no, I'm not telling you my real name. It's bloody embarrassing. Stick with Crowley if you don't want to wake up with me looming over you holding a pillow above your face, deal?" Crowley asked him, voice creepily pleasant and making Sam gape at him then look to Gabriel to see if he was being just as freaked out - and maybe a little turned on - by Crowley's big bad behaviour. Judging by the look on Gabriel's face, he was just turned on.

"Right, so no calling you Aleister. How about Lee?" Sam asked, grinning widely when Crowley grumbled under his breath, before he cursed a passing driver out so spectacularly that Sam felt himself blush.

"You call me Lee all the time when you're rat-arsed. How would now be any different? Other than you being sober for once?"

"What do you mean, for once? I'm hardly ever drunk! Only when you two peer-pressure me into it!" Sam huffed out, flopping back into his seat and crossing his arms over his chest.

"I think the whole point of peer-pressure is that you're pressured by people in your age-group. We're most definitely not in that range. Nice to be considered though. And ignore Crowley, he's just being grumpy because he can. So, where exactly are we heading? I mean, isn't South Dakota quite a large state? Would be nice to know where this Bobby guy lives instead of just driving around aimlessly and hoping that one day we come upon his house," Gabriel pointed out, making Sam blush when he realised he hadn't told them anything about Bobby other than the man's name and that he was close to Sam.

"Ah, right. Um, he lives just outside Sioux City," Sam said, shrugging when he caught the look from Crowley that told him he really hadn't given enough information for the man to go on. "Um… he owns Singer Scrap Yard… so it's not too hard to find. Really."

"Fine, we'll go on a smaller wild goose chase as opposed to hunting round the whole of South Dakota. Better than nothing, I suppose," Crowley grumbled, then took the next exit off the highway that would hopefully take them to the right place. Sam just beamed happily in the back seat, suddenly highly excited to see Bobby.

* * *

Sam's excitement faded pretty rapidly as soon as they started to pass familiar scenery, and Crowley and Gabriel knew they were getting closer just by Sam's nervous fidgeting. So by the time they actually pulled to a stop outside the main gate to Bobby's property, Sam was an alarming shade of white and looked like he was going to throw up or pass out in any minute.

"Um… Sammy?" Gabriel asked, gently placing a hand on Sam's shoulder in hopes to sooth the clearly freaked out man. Sam just carried on breathing deeply, trying to keep his stomach contents in and not make a complete fool of himself by passing out.

"Sam?"

"I've just had a thought," Sam managed to whisper once he was almost certain he wouldn't be throwing up anytime soon. Though having to voice his realisation may change that.

"What?" Crowley asked warily, and Sam jumped having not noticed that the man had apparently left the car to walk over to Sam's side so he could stand next to him. Gabriel was even closer to him, almost sitting on his lap.

"Just… what if my dad and Dean are there? They go to the man a lot, you know? So… what if they're there right now and… what if?" Sam whined, breath hitching a little as the sheer horror of what that situation could bring hit him fully.

"And what if they're not? We ain't gonna know unless we head in there, are we? So stop being a pansy and get out the car. If your halfwit of a father is there, then we'll deal with it then, alright?" Crowley told him, squeezing Sam's shoulder comfortingly before he stepped away from Sam and went back to the front seat. Sam nodded and took a deep breath before he managed to force himself to get out of the car and opening gate, letting Crowley drive past him, before he closed it again and got back in, this time sitting in the front with Crowley. Gabriel didn't say a word and Sam knew the man realised Sam was probably clinging to Crowley's gruff personality to hide behind.

They pulled up in front of Bobby's house, Sam breathing a small sigh of relief when he didn't see the Impala or their dad's truck anywhere, though he nearly choked when the front door to the house was flung open and Bobby came outside to investigate why Rumsfeld was barking, shotgun in hand.

"Right, better get out then, huh?" Sam muttered, almost to himself, before he pushed his door open and stepped out of the car. He walked towards Bobby, hearing the car doors slam shut as Gabriel and Crowley both left the car, but before he had a chance to say anything to Bobby, he was bowled over by an over-excited Rumsfeld.

Laughing loudly, Sam fussed and play-wrestled the large dog, before sitting up, patting the dog on the head and smiling widely at Bobby, who was just staring at him suspiciously. Though Sam knew that the suspicion was aimed more towards Crowley and Gabriel, than Sam himself, who had been given the seal of approval by Rumsfeld.

"Sam. Who're your friends?" Bobby asked warily, walking slowly towards them, gun held loosely by his side. Sam was well aware that the man would be able to shoot them at a moments notice however and he quickly stood up and moved to stand by Crowley and Gabriel.

"Bobby! Hey! Um… these are Crowley and Gabriel. We went on a road trip for my summer break and well, I asked if we could drop by to see you before we headed back home for my third year. So, um… yeah. Long time no see, huh?" Sam asked sheepishly, grinning shyly as he stared at the man he saw as more a father figure than his actual father.

Bobby just stood and stared at them for a moment longer, before stepping forward and dragging Sam into a hug. Sam stood still in complete shock for a second or two before he wrapped his arms around Bobby and hugged him tightly.

"Missed you, boy. I told your daddy exactly what I thought of him for what he did to you," Bobby told him once they'd pulled away from one another. Sam gave him a small smile and just shrugged his shoulders.

"How did you find out?" Sam asked, looking over his shoulder and smiling when he saw Crowley and Gabriel standing aside, letting Sam catch up with his uncle and generally giving off the impression of well-behaved, polite men. Which Sam knew was a complete lie most of the time.

"How about we head inside and I can tell you that story, and you can introduce me to the two men you've brought with you," Bobby told him, turning on his heel and heading into the house. Sam glanced over at Gabriel and Crowley once more and noticed they were whispering to one another though they stopped when they saw Sam looking at them curiously.

"We should head inside so that Bobby can get to know you and he won't be as suspicious of you. You two alright?" Sam asked them, stepping closer to them and shooting them both a concerned look.

"We're fine. Just discussing something. You know how it is. Crowley asking to hide behind me and everything. You alright? He seemed to be quite happy to see you, so that's a good thing, right?" Gabriel asked him, wrapping an arm around Sam's waist as he walked with Sam into Bobby's house, Crowley walking behind them, glowering at Rumsfeld, who seemed to be making an effort not to go anywhere near Crowley, much to Sam's confusion.

"Yeah, definitely a good thing. I really wanna know how he heard about what happened between me and my dad, sounds like it could be an interesting story," Sam said, frowning when Gabriel paused at the front door and twitched a little, then snapping his fingers like he'd just remembered something. "Gabe?"

"Hmm? Nothing! Just a thought that crossed my mind. Crowley, you coming or you gonna spend the rest of the day staring out the dog?" Gabriel asked, snickering when Crowley glared at them both before following them inside. Sam grinned, and leant back to squeeze Crowley's hand before he let go and stepped out of Gabriel's hold, then led the two into the front room where Bobby would be waiting for them.

Sam paused in the doorway and looked around the room that hadn't changed in all the years Sam had known Bobby, he bit at his bottom lip and glanced up to see Bobby just staring at him like he was a moron. A look he'd grown used to in the two years of knowing Crowley.

"Sit down, you idjit! I ain't talking to you when you're standing there like a lump," Bobby grouched, getting a snort of amusement from Crowley who was standing behind Sam, whilst Gabriel snickered and Sam just felt himself blush before he quickly took a seat on the sofa, moving so that there was room for both Crowley and Gabriel to sit with him. Because as much as the two annoyed him at times, he really wasn't mean enough to make one of them sit alone during an interrogation by Bobby.

"So… What did Dad tell you about me leaving?" Sam asked after a moment or two of awkward - on his behalf - silence. He shifted awkwardly in his seat a little when Bobby looked at him shrewdly.

"Him and your idjit brother came here about two months after you'd left asking for help about… something. I asked him where you were, and he told me exactly what he'd said to you and didn't sound remorseful in the least that he had just kicked his youngest out just for wanting an education," Bobby growled, the look on his face telling them all exactly what he thought of that, which warmed Sam a little, knowing that at least one person backed his decision.

"What did you say to him? That? I don't imagine he was all too impressed with that," Sam muttered, grinning a little as he imagined just how his dad would have taken Bobby telling him that he thought.

"Do I look like I care what the idjit thinks? I told him what I thought, then I chased him off with my shotgun and told him that if he came back then I'd shoot him," Bobby told them bluntly. Sam just stared at him for a second or two before bursting out into semi-hysterical giggles, leaning on Crowley as he tried to gasp in breaths between giggles.

"Oh! Oh that's- that's brilliant!" Sam gasped out between giggles, grinning widely at Bobby, who just looked back with thinly veiled amusement on his face.

"Right. So? You gonna tell me who those two are next to you?" Bobby asked minutes later, which promptly cured Sam of his giggles and made him sit up a little straighter. He felt Crowley stiffen a little next to him and knew that Gabriel was probably tensing as well. All three of them wondering just how Bobby would take the actual relationship between them.

"What do you mean? I told you, they're my friends from college," Sam said, wincing a little when his voice came out a little higher than normal and just screamed 'lying' to anyone that heard him. He really did suck at lying when it mattered.

"Uh huh. Little old to be college students, ain't they? How about you tell me the truth. Not that I completely get why you're lying to me in the first place. How bad can it be? Unless they kidnapped you to get to me, in which case I should probably shoot them," Bobby mused, smirking when Sam glared at him. He really wasn't helping Sam feel more relaxed at all.

"They haven't kidnapped me and forced me here and you know it. So stop threatening them. Look, the thing is… I'm kinda… they're… We're…" Sam huffed as he tried to think of a good way of telling Bobby that he was gay and in a relationship with two other men. And possibly had some sort of weird submission kink, though Bobby _really_ didn't need to know that one.

"Sam? You ain't soothin' my suspicions here," Bobby pointed out and Sam blushed and looked down at his hands in his lap. He felt Crowley subtly move closer to him, clearly letting Sam lead and that made Sam actually feel a little better.

"Right. Of course. Umm… so here's the thing. Right? Yep. That. And there you have it," Sam nodded to back up his non-point, ignoring the exasperated look Bobby was shooting him and the amused looks he was getting from Gabriel and Crowley. Really, they could laugh all they wanted. They didn't have to tell their uncle that they were gay and taking it up the ass from two men. Not that Sam needed to go into that much detail. In fact, Bobby would probably thank him if he didn't.

"Well, at least I know you ain't possessed," Bobby muttered and Sam pouted, and made a mental note to possibly ask why Crowley stiffened next to him. And also ask why no one thought anything was wrong when he turned into a babbling spaz.

"What's that mean?!" Sam asked huffily, pouting and crossing his arms over his chest. Which really did nothing to make him look mature and less spastic. Well, it didn't make him look any more spastic either, so that was something.

"Means nothin'. So how about you try telling me what you should be telling me by using actual words instead of some sort of stilted language that ain't no one gonna understand but you," Bobby suggested, looking at him with that look that normally made Sam spill every secret he'd been hiding and most of the time got Dean into trouble and Sam a beating from his brother. Once he'd gotten out of whatever punishment Sam had gotten him in the first place.

Really, Sam hated that look.

So did Dean.

"I'mgayandi'minarelationshipwithtwoguys. Yep. Me. That's… yep," Sam sat up straight, smiling anxiously at Bobby - who apparently was just gaping at him. A glance to the side showed him that Gabriel and Crowley were both gaping at him as well and Sam really had no idea what any of their problem was. He'd said it, hadn't he?

"So you're gay, huh?"

"You understood that?! Man, you are some sort of magician or something! I still have no idea what Sammy says half the time. He's like a hummingbird on a sugar high at the best of times. You need to teach me-"

"Gabriel," Crowley interrupted. Sam stuck his tongue out at Gabriel, who returned the gesture whilst Crowley just gave a small suffering sigh between the two and shared a pitying stare with Bobby.

"Sam, you know I ain't one to question how anyone chooses to live their life. If you're happy, then I'm happy for you. Just… don't be doin' anything under my roof whilst you're here. Which brings up the question, how long are you intending on visitin'?" Bobby asked him. Sam just shrugged and looked to Gabriel and Crowley, none of them having actually decided on how long to stay. Hell, Sam had been happy enough to just fly by visit and leave that same day.

"Dunno. How long before we out stay our welcome?" Sam asked after getting a small shrug from both Crowley and Gabriel, figuring that either one would speak up if they actually had a problem with staying as long as they were allowed.

"Sam, son, you know you can stay here as long as you like. Your… partners are welcome too. So feel free to stay until you need to leave. You can stay in the room you normally stay in when you're here," Bobby told him and Sam smiled widely at him, even more happy that he'd decided to come here and visit Bobby than he had been before.

"Okay… so, well, it won't be longer than two weeks! I have to be back in California by then. So… um… I guess we'll just see how it goes, huh?" Sam said and smiled slightly when Bobby just nodded his head.

"Sounds good to me. So, how about you tell me what you've been up to since you started college? You enjoyin' yourself?" Bobby asked him, and Sam beamed, happy to sit back and tell Bobby about some of the funnier stories that had happened to him over the last two years. With helpful interruptions from both Crowley and Gabriel which mostly ended up with Sam blushing shades of red that were not normally seen in nature.

* * *

The next two weeks went far too quickly for Sam's liking, but at the same time, by the time they were packing their bags and throwing them into the car, he was a little happy to be heading back home. Though he was a little anxious that he would return to find that he was once more rooming with the homophobic asshole that was Brady. He wasn't sure what he would do if that were the case.

"Sam?" Sam turned when he heard Bobby call his name and the beckon Sam over. Sam glanced at Crowley and Gabriel, who seemed to be bickering over who would be driving. Or possibly who would be the one to sit with Sam in the backseat. He wasn't too sure which. Seeing, however, that they were clearly distracted, Sam walked over to Bobby and enveloped him in a hug before pulling back and smiling widely.

"It's been great staying here, Bobby! Thanks for not turning me away as soon as I arrived," Sam mumbled, a little curious as to whether Bobby had called him back for any other reason than to say goodbye.

"You know I'd never turn you away, son. And I'm glad that things seem to be going well for you. You're happy, right?" Bobby asked him, looking past Sam to where Gabriel and Crowley were now hissing insults or something at one another, whilst rearranging the bags in the back. Sam knew they were doing it deliberately to give him time with Bobby and loved them even more for it.

"I really am. Those two, as insane and annoying as they can be at times, are the best things that could have come from me leaving for college. I think, no, I know I'm in love with them, which really isn't anything you need to know, but well, I know that they'd do anything for me to keep me safe and happy. Which really is something you might want to know," Sam added, blushing a little as he realised he was currently having a chick flick moment with Bobby. Dean would smack him up the back of the head if he was there.

"Good. And Sam, if you really are serious about this relationship you have going, then I hate to say it, but you need to tell them the truth about your past. That ain't something you can hide from them and it certainly ain't something you can run from. It's going to catch up with you one day, and I'd advise that your partners are prepared as best as they can be. More chance of survival that way," Bobby told him, a look in his eyes that told Sam far more than the man's words were. Sam just nibbled on his lip and glanced at the floor though, not committing to anything. It wasn't that he didn't want to - well, technically it partially was - but he was also terrified that they would call him insane and leave him. And he knew he couldn't cope if that were to happen.

"I'm scared to, Bobby," Sam admitted in a quiet voice, jumping a little when Bobby just clapped him on the shoulder and gave a small shake of his head.

"Son, I know the risks of what might happen were you to own up to the truth, but don't you think they deserve to know? So they can be safe?" Bobby asked him, and Sam gave a loud sigh and nodded his head.

"Yeah, you're right. I… need to tell them the truth. As much as it might turn out to hurt me, it'd hurt me even more if either one was harmed just because I didn't tell them. Guess I just need to find the right time to tell them." Bobby gave him a small, but proud smile when Sam said that, and once more clapped him on the shoulder before pulling back, handing Sam a piece of paper with a number written on it, which Sam took and stared at in confusion.

"What's this? This isn't any of your numbers," Sam said, looking at the strange number in confusion before looking back to Bobby for the answer.

"That's your idjit brother's new number. Give him a call because Lord knows the boy won't be calling you. Too afraid that you'll reject him and that he'll ruin any all chances of normality that have going for you. He don't hate you, Sam, but he sure as hell misses you. And I'd wager that you miss him just as much. So give him a call and then maybe he'll stop bitching and moaning to me about it," Bobby grouched, tugging his hat off his head so that he could turn and twist it in his hands. Sam just gave a weak chuckle as he stared at the number, before putting it in his pocket and giving a small nod.

"I will, Bobby. And I'll try to tell them the truth as well. And Bobby? I hate to ask this, but…"

"Your daddy ain't gonna find out about this visit nor your two partners from me. So don't you worry none about that. Just stay safe, Sam and you know you'll always have a home here. Maybe keep in touch a bit more so that I know you're alive and safe. And visit more as well. Bring those two with ya when ya do. That Crowley guy has some interesting stories," Bobby told him with a grin, which just grew when Sam gaped at him then turned to stare at Crowley.

"There's something a little creepy and a lot terrifying about you and Crowley getting on, Bobby," Sam admitted, then he smiled and dragged the man into another hug before taking a step back and away. "I'd best be going before Gabriel gets bored and tries to teach Rumsfeld more bad habits."

"I swear that dog don't listen to anyone but you and now that menace you brought back with you. Feel free to leave him behind or on the side of the road when you come back," Bobby told him, making Sam laugh and shake his head, knowing the man liked Gabriel just as much as he liked Crowley.

"Will do, Bobby. And I'll come back again soon, okay? Call me if you hear anything, alright?" Sam asked, walking to the car and looking over his shoulder for Bobby's answer. The man just nodded his head and gave a small wave, which Sam returned eagerly then climbed into the back seat, snickering when he saw Crowley grouchily sitting in the seat next to him.

"So, time to go back to good old California and, for you, college! How fun, no?" Gabriel said chirpily after they'd all been silently driving along for a good hour or so. Sam just groaned in the back seat and slumped against Crowley, shifting so he could hide his face in the crook of Crowley's neck.

"I thought you liked school and learning and all that shit?" Crowley muttered, though he didn't hold back from wrapping an arm around Sam's shoulders and pulling him closer. They had refrained from showing too much affection to each other in front of Bobby to save the man from being uncomfortable - and Sam from dying of humiliation - so Sam was enjoying being able to just cling to Crowley without worry that Bobby would walk in and mock him/start muttering balls until the end of his days.

"I do like school. It's the rest of it that I hate. I just know I'm going to be rooming with Brady for another year because things have been going well for me and well, Fate hates me, so she's gotta find some way of torturing me, right? Brady is her way," Sam mumbled, feeling ridiculously sorry for himself.

"Huh, about that…" Crowley trailed off, which made Sam pull back from where he'd been trying to see if he could become one with the man and see the reason for why he had stopped speaking. Of course, looking at the man didn't actually help any as Crowley looked as stoic as ever, though he was glancing at Gabriel, who looked over his shoulder, nodded and then turned back to the road.

Oh no, Sam wasn't suspicious at all. "What? What about it? What are you talking about? Why did you and Gabriel share a look? What's going on?"

"Quit your yammering. You sound ridiculous. All I was going to say was, me and Gabriel have been talking about your third year and your… delightful ex-roommate and we decided to ask you something."

"What something?" Sam asked, still eyeing Crowley suspiciously.

"We were wonderin' if you wanted to move in with us permanently," Crowley told him, causing Sam to gape at him and do a pretty good impression of a stranded fish out of water, before he turned to look at Gabriel, who glanced over his shoulder to nod at Sam.

"Really?"

"Really. Why the bloody hell would we ask if we didn't mean it? We're cruel but we ain't that bloody cruel, Moose," Crowley muttered, narrowing his eyes at Sam, who just grinned sheepishly and shrugged.

"You wouldn't mind? You'd actually want me to live with you both all the time?" Sam asked, having to just make sure just in case they really were pulling his leg.

"Yes, all the time. What part of what I said was confusing? Because you clearly ain't gettin' it. Sam, we want you to move in with us and live with us permanently. Or until you get fed up of us." Sam snickered at that and grinned at Crowley before he launched himself at the man, ignoring his over-exaggerated groan as he clung to the man.

"In that case, yes! Definitely! I would love to!" Sam exclaimed into Crowley's chest, beaming though no one could see him. He felt Crowley's hand move to pet and stroke his hair, making him melt into the man even more and wish he could purr.

"So that's a yes?" Gabriel asked in amusement from the front. Sam felt Crowley's chuckle vibrate in his chest and snickered him self, pulling back a little so that he could kiss Crowley before turning to lean over the front seats and press a kiss to Gabriel's cheek.

"Definitely a yes," Sam confirmed, smiling widely and probably looking like he'd slept with a coat-hanger in his mouth. He didn't care though, he was just ecstatic that he'd no longer have to worry that he'd be sharing a room with Brady for a third year running.

Of course, given he would be living with the two on a permanent basis, Sam felt that it was probably even more imperative that he told the two just what, exactly, it was that he had been running from when he'd gone to college. Strangely enough, the prospect of doing so didn't look any brighter even with his new living arrangement.

* * *

When they finally got back to California, after a few diversions when Gabriel was behind the wheel, all three were exhausted, but Sam found himself buzzing a little and just knew he wouldn't be getting any sleep any time soon. All three piled into the house, deciding to leave their stuff in the car until the next day after they'd gotten some sleep.

However, upon collapsing on to the couch, Sam realised that he really should let the two know about his family and his past, or he really wouldn't be getting any sleep as it would be constantly playing on his mind. He just wasn't too sure how to tell them. Well, no, he knew how to tell them, he just wasn't sure how to start it.

"I think I could sleep for the next month. How is driving all day exhausting when all we do is sit down and watch other cars try to kill us?" Gabriel asked as he practically became one with the couch next to Sam. Sam still had no idea how the man looked like he'd removed all his bones whenever he relaxed. It was a skill, clearly.

"You're normally the one trying to kill us, not the other people on the road. Your passengers are suffering mental exhaustion," Crowley muttered, sitting in his usual seat and glowering at Gabriel. Sam grinned weakly and shook his head at the two, really he wondered if they ever stopped bickering with one another outside of the bedroom. He hadn't seen evidence of it.

Heaving a sigh and deciding that now was as good a time as any, given the two men were just as tired as he was and thus less likely to be bothered to call someone and get him committed or something just as likely upon hearing someone claim they grew up hunting ghosts.

"So… I should probably tell you guys something since I'm moving in and all…" Sam trailed off, not really sure how to carry on with that sentence and losing his nerve anyway when Crowley and Gabriel both looked at him sharply.

"You're not a serial killer are you? Because getting rid of bodies is a messy job. I mean, I'll help you, but try not to bring it back here. Blood is a horrible thing to get out of the carpet," Gabriel added, nose wrinkling as a show of his distaste. Sam just stared at him and then snorted, shaking his head. Though to be fair, he had left his fair share of bloody prints in past motel rooms.

"No… it's not that. It's more… what my dad does. What _I_ did," Sam said, nibbling on his lip as he forced himself to meet the stare of Gabriel, glancing briefly at Crowley before looking back at Gabriel, who looked like he somehow knew what Sam was going to tell them. Which was just stupid thinking.

"Okay… so why not tell us? Can't be that bad, right?" Gabriel asked. Sam just shrugged and looked at his hands, glancing up at Crowley through his fringe and relaxing a bit at the warm smile sent his way.

"Well, it depends I guess. See… Right, bugger it-"

"Knew I'd make a Brit of you one day," Crowley interrupted smugly, looking proud as punch at Sam's use of a typical Britishism without even thinking about it. Sam just rolled his eyes, but didn't stop the smile that broke out.

"Right, yeah, so, can I get this out without any more interruptions? Or I'm gonna just wimp out and leave it," Sam admitted with a shrug.

"Okay, Crowley won't interrupt anymore. He promises. Go on, Sammy."

"Yeah… so, the thing is, my dad is a hunter. And I don't mean hunting animals. More, he hunts supernatural things, like spirits and demons and such. And maybe, in hindsight, it would have been better to have started with the whole 'ghosts are real' part. That would possibly have made my dad's job a little less crazy. Or just made me look even more crazy. Um… I'm gonna stop rambling. Please interrupt me," Sam pleaded, looking up just in time to see Crowley and Gabriel exchange a glance with one another that certainly wasn't them worrying about Sam's sanity, which just made Sam's paranoia skyrocket.

"Okay, no, we believe you, Sam," Crowley told him, sounding like he was choosing his words very carefully and therefore making Sam even more suspicious. He narrowed his eyes at the man and clenched his jaw.

"What was the look for? Why did you two exchange a look like you were having some sort of weird mental conversation about me? And why are you taking this so easily? Where's the 'Sam, ghosts don't exist' or 'Just how many drugs did your dad take when he was younger?'? What aren't you telling me?" Sam demanded, a sinking feeling starting to twist his stomach up as he tried to guess just what it was they weren't telling him.

"See, the thing is, the reason we believed you so easily is because, well… neither of us are exactly human," Gabriel admitted gently. Sam had the sudden and uncomfortable feeling of ice running through his veins and he stiffened in his seat, staring from Gabriel to Crowley and back with wide, fearful eyes. Every creature that his dad had told him about and that he'd helped hunt down was running through his head, making him dizzy and he could feel his breathing start to come faster.

"But… what-what are you?" Sam finally managed to ask, flinching a little when Gabriel moved closer to him as though to calm him down. Gabriel looked pained at Sam's visible show of fear, but didn't move any closer to him. In fact he got off the couch and moved to sit on the arm of the chair Crowley was sitting on. Crowley, who had been silent and stoic since Gabriel had told Sam that they weren't human.

"You know who I am, Sam. I've never really hidden it, and well, Crowley calls me it every day practically," Gabriel told him. Sam just frowned at him and tried to think if he'd been given any clues that Gabriel was claiming he had been. Then he remembered the nicknames Gabriel had and all breath left him.

"Shit. Y-you're Loki. _Actually_ the Loki? Oh God. Fuck. You're a-a-fuck!" Sam gasped out a panicked breath and leant forward to rest his forehead on his knees, wrapping his arms around his legs as though to hug them.

"Sam? Sammy, you need to calm down a little. Come on. You're safe, Sammy. We'd never hurt you, I promise. And well… I'm not just Loki. I'm Gabriel too," Gabriel added. Sam let out a slightly hysterical giggle at that as he imagined Gabriel as an angel, though he figured that wasn't quite what the man meant.

"I don't… What? I… why Gabriel? Why that name?" Sam finally asked, head a rumble of disjointed thoughts that mostly didn't make much sense to him.

"That's not… Sam, I meant literally. I'm also Gabriel. _The_ Gabriel. You could say I'm in witness protection as Loki. No one… other than Crowley, and now you, no one knows who I really am. I'm just known as Loki to most," Gabriel admitted to him, and Sam just stared at him, wondering if he was, quite honestly losing his mind. Though the mention of Crowley made Sam realise that the other man had been staying quiet and hadn't told Sam what he was.

"Right. Okay. I… no, I can cope. I can… Just… Crowley? I don't… what… who are you?" Sam asked fearfully, not too sure he wanted to know, because there were only two Crowley's that Sam had ever read about, one was fictional and the other was assumedly dead, and neither one were something Sam wanted to have been sharing a bed with for the last year and a half.

"I'm a crossroads demon, Sam," Crowley admitted, his eyes flashing a milky, pale blue before going back to normal. Sam stared at him in horror before he suddenly flung himself off the sofa and moved to try and get out of the room. He jumped and yelled in shock and terror when he found his way out blocked by Gabriel.

"No! No, let me go! I can't… You can't… He's…" Sam gasped out, yanking at his hair as he turned back to stare fearfully at Crowley, who was now standing by the chair, watching them sadly.

"Sam, Sam calm down, you're going to start hyperventilating soon if you don't calm down. Do you hear me? I wasn't lying about who I am, Sam. Think about it, would I, an _archangel_, allow a demon to hurt anyone? Especially you, Sam? Crowley's not… he's a demon, sure, but he's not a normal demon, Sam. For one, he freaking loves you, and well, okay, he's morally ambiguous on the 'don't give a shit' side of things, but he'd never hurt you and I promise you, Sammy, I _promise_ that he would never hurt you," Gabriel told him, hands coming up to rest on Sam's shoulders as though to ground him. Sam couldn't help himself as he stared at Gabriel, eyes wide as he swore he could see a slight outline or shadow of wings on the wall behind the man.

"Gabriel…" Sam managed to gasp out in a hushed voice, knowing that small tremors were running through his body as he tried to get over his fear upon finding out what Crowley was, desperately trying to convince himself that Crowley was still the man he'd somehow fallen in love with, as cliched and smushy as that sounded.

"Sammy, please, you've gotta believe us, we'd never hurt you and never _let_ anyone or thing hurt you," Gabriel told him in a soft voice, hands squeezing his shoulders a little which somehow made Sam relax, though he had no idea how because relaxed was the last thing he thought he'd be feeling in this situation.

"Did… did you know who I was? Who my family was?" Sam asked quietly, stepping back from Gabriel so he could look at Crowley, giving the other man a clear indication as to who exactly he was asking. Crowley just sighed and moved closer to them, though Sam noted that he kept his body language opening as unthreatening as he could.

"I did. And yes, I considered messing with you, but… you are so damn charming and likeable that I found myself thinking of reasons to go and talk to you that had nothing to do with finding out where your family was or anything like that. Besides which, I've never really had anything against the Winchester's anyway so I don't really think my heart was in the whole messing with you deal anyway. And Sam, Gabriel's right, I might not say it much or at all really, but I do love you. Shocking as it might seem for a demon, but there it is. And like Gabriel also pointed out, I'm not really like any other demon you might have come across," Crowley told him gently as he slowly moved closer to Sam one step at a time until he was almost toe to toe with him.

Sam just stared at him warily, unsure if he wanted to take a step back from the man or get rid of the little distance between them and just forget everything he'd been taught about demons and just let the man do whatever he liked as long as he was showing Sam some affection.

"I don't… I'm tired," Sam admitted softly, shoulders slumping and head dropping down so that his chin was practically on his chest. He sighed deeply and couldn't find the energy to flinch when Gabriel stepped up close behind him and Crowley placed a hand on his cheek.

"Sam… I promise you that I would never do anything to hurt you deliberately. And I will understand if you wish to leave us and go back to college. Or even just leave California altogether. We won't follow you if that's your wish, and we certainly won't bother you again. But, Sam, we both love you and neither of us want you to go." Sam pressed into Crowley's touch as the man's words washed over him and he leant back a little into Gabriel as well, knowing that both men, though shorter than him, would be able to take his weight with no trouble.

"I don't want to leave… but… I'm confused and - and maybe a little scared. I-I don't get… I don't know what… I'm just so tired of it all. I came here to escape it and ended up living with it. I just… I want to sleep," Sam admitted tiredly, resigned to the fact that Bobby had been right and he would never truly be able to escape his past.

"Okay, come on, Sammy. Let's go to bed, sleep on it and maybe in the morning you'll be able to think about it a little more clearly and decide what it is you want to do," Gabriel told him gently, arms moving to wrap around Sam's waist from behind and pressing a small kiss to the back of Sam's neck.

"Yeah. Maybe. Can we… can we pretend tonight didn't happen and just… I want to feel you. I want to _feel_ your love. Anything. I just… I feel so numb right now. Love me?" Sam asked quietly, looking up from where he'd been looking at the floor to meet Crowley's stare. Crowley just nodded and moved his hand from Sam'f face to grab Sam's hand and led him to their bedroom, Gabriel following close enough behind them that he didn't have to let go of Sam.

As he lay down on the bed, Crowley moving to lie in front of him and Gabriel lying behind him, Sam felt all the confusion, fear and unease shifting around inside of him, and decided to just let it go if only for the rest of the night. He could think about everything he'd learnt about his lovers in the morning, and just allow himself to get lost in what they were doing to his body before then.

* * *

He had no idea how long he had been sleeping for when he woke up the next morning, looking to the side to see Crowley was no longer in the bed, but Gabriel was curled around Sam; hand resting over Sam's chest and looking - to Sam - as though he were protecting Sam from the world. Which was cute, but Sam had more confusing matters running through his head.

"Huh, guess angels can sleep then," Sam muttered to himself, slowly bring his hand up to brush the hair away from Gabriel's face, freezing when the angel nuzzled his hand and answered Sam's mutter.

"We can sleep. Most choose not to. I've been around for a bit longer than my brothers who tend to dislike humans for some reason." Gabriel shifted a little so that he was lying on his stomach and resting his chin and hand on Sam's chest. "How are you feeling this morning? Now that you've had time to sleep on it all a little? We weren't lying when we told you that you could leave and we'd let you and not bother you."

"I know. And I guess my head is a little clearer after having slept some. I don't… I don't want to leave you two. And I guess I can just, learn to deal with it and accept you both. Do… do you think Crowley hates me for my reaction to him last night?" Sam asked in a quiet voice, heart clenching a little at the thought of having possibly hurt Crowley or Crowley not forgiving him for not giving him a chance.

"I don't think Crowley would ever blame you for your reaction last night. For one, you were exhausted before we even started the conversation, and so, given the topic and the revelations of the night, you're reaction could have been much worse. So no, I don't think Crowley hates you. In fact, I'm pretty positive the only reason he didn't wait for you to wake up was so that he could give you some space. For a demon, Crowley's shockingly thoughtful. Give him a chance, Sammy. In fact, give us both a chance. You'll maybe see that the Gabriel and Crowley you know are the real us." Sam looked at Gabriel, before letting his head fall back and looking up at the ceiling, nodding his in agreement to Gabriel's request.

"Just… promise me I'm safe. As much as you can, I mean. I just… I don't know if I can be comfortable if demons are gonna be around me all the time and knowing who I am. Who my family is," Sam murmured, frowning a little even as he spoke, not quite agreeing with his words, but unsure of how to word his actual concerns.

Thankfully Gabriel seemed to get what Sam was asking and didn't take offence in thinking Sam didn't trust them, or thought they would start having strange supernatural monster parties or something. Not that he'd put that past Gabriel.

"Sam, you'll always be safe with us. You're under the protection of Loki, Gabriel and Crowley. Yeah, sure, Loki and Gabriel are the same person, but you're one of the only beings to know that. And well, Crowley may be unpopular in Hell, but he's powerful and begrudgingly respected and feared by most demons around. In fact, most of the demons that wouldn't think twice about messing with Crowley are still in Hell and are too powerful to actually be able to get out. So, I don't think you have anything to worry about on that front. Okay? So you're feeling a little better about things then?" Gabriel asked him, moving up the bed so that he could press and light kiss to Sam's temple and then sitting on the side of the bed.

"I… yeah, I think I am. Guess we should go let Crowley know this, huh?" Sam asked, smiling slightly as he too moved to get out of bed.

"You know he's gonna be grouchy and his usual infuriating self, right? But deep, deep-deep-deep, down, he'll be happy to hear that," Gabriel told him, grinning cheekily when Sam just shot him a glare in Crowley's defence, though it was probably ruined slightly by the grin he couldn't hide.

"You're really quite horrible to him."

"We're an angel and a demon. Natural enemies."

"You sleep with him."

"With you as the filling in that sandwich. Now, stop stalling, time to face the demon. Literally," Gabriel added almost as an afterthought, grinning and ducking out of the way of the swat Sam aimed at this head.

"Horrible, horrible person. Let's go," Sam said, smiling as he shook his head at Gabriel's antics. Sure, he was still a little uncertain about everything that he'd learnt, but he felt that he could honestly deal with it and eventually not be bothered by it at all.

And he also knew that he would never be introducing his lovers to anyone else in his family. Bobby was enough and even then, the man would never be finding out just what Gabriel and Crowley were if Sam had anything to do with it. That was just not a confrontation Sam ever wanted to have. Though Bobby finding out he was sleeping with an angel-come-trickster and a crossroads demon - who was apparently more powerful than any demon Sam might have ever come across - was marginally better and less lethal than his dad ever finding out.

Or Dean.


	12. Year 3, Part 2

Part Two

There was one small difference that Sam had noticed about his lovers since finding out about their less than human natures and that was they suddenly seemed less guarded. Not that Sam had ever actually thought they were guarded before, he just hadn't noticed that they were until they weren't. Which didn't really even make sense in Sam's head, so he wasn't too sure how to explain it to anyone else were they to ever ask him.

It was the small things that tipped him off though, he noticed that - in hindsight - both men seemed to tense a little if the other called them out on what they really are, even under the pretence of it being a nickname or a joke, but now they didn't. If anything, they went out of their way to snipe and bitch at one another even more then they had. He also noticed that neither one hid what they were going to do when they left for, what Sam had originally thought was their job - whatever that might have been. And finally, Gabriel seemed to think that since Sam knew his alternate persona as Loki, then he really didn't have to hold back on the sugar consumption at all. Something Sam hadn't even realised he had been doing in the first place, but apparently he had given he couldn't exactly snap his fingers to make candy appear whenever he had wanted before Sam knew. Now he could, nothing was going to stop him. Sam actually thought he might be developing diabetes just by association.

One thing that had come about from the revelations that Sam certainly would never regret, was Crowley sitting Sam down privately a few days after everything had come out and the day before Sam would start his classes for his third year and telling him that he loved Sam and needed Sam to understand that no matter what happened, he would be safe and protected by Sam.

Of course, he soon ruined the sappy moment by threatening Sam that if he ever told anyone he said any of that then he'd kill him and not even Gabriel would be able to find his body. But the sentiment was there and, even though Sam burst into laughter at Crowley's slightly uncomfortable confession, Sam was grateful for the effort, but had told Crowley that there really was no need because Sam knew all of that. If anything, that just made Sam see that his lovers really hadn't changed at all and were still the men he had found himself loving.

From that moment however, Sam felt something that had been gnawing at him inside, that he hadn't really realised was even there after he'd decided to accept his lovers, just disappear. And that certainly made the beginning of his third year much easier. He wasn't stressed over Crowley and Gabriel, he had been told that he didn't need to keep his job so he didn't have that to worry about and best of all, he wouldn't be sharing a room with Brady for a third year running.

Strangely, Brady had actually found Sam out on the first day of classes just to tell Sam that he was disappointed they wouldn't be sharing a room that year. Sam had just stared at him, wondering if the man actually took some sort of substance that made him that delusional before he'd just agreed and then walked off. He'll be honest to anyone that asked that he had been avoiding Brady since because he was scared that that much delusion and crazy might actually be contagious.

Now it was actually nearing finals before they broke up for Christmas - and besides wondering just where the last four months had gone because they'd passed in an insanely fast pace - Sam was heading for the library in search of Janey. Which was a change given she was normally the one who searched him out.

Unsurprisingly, he found her sitting at their usual table, actually studying for once - probably for a class that she doesn't have with Sam given she was going for a different area of law than him, though Sam would admit that since learning just who his lovers are, he'd asked them for better ideas on how he and Janey could 'mutually help' one another during their exams.

The looks of pride on his lovers faces was worth any fall out that might happen should he and Janey ever actually get caught doing what they are.

"Sam! What the hell are you doing here? Well, after me that is. Don't you have a criminal defence clinic right now? And can I just add that the fact _you_ want to go into defence and _I_ want to go into prosecution. What the hell went wrong there?" Janey asked as soon as Sam had sat down opposite her at the table. Sam just grinned at her, she had a point.

"One of my lovers may possibly be part of the British mob scene? That's my only explanation. No idea what yours is though. And can I just say, seeing you actually studying is making me feel a little uncomfortable," Sam admitted, snickered when Janey just glared at him.

"Oh you're hilarious. Any reason you're here other than to pester me and mock me for wanting to get a good grade?" Janey asked him, pouting when Sam showed no remorse for the pestering or the mocking.

"Well, mocking and bugging you is always worth any bitching I'll get from you in return, but no, I also came to give you this," Sam told her, pushing a small pager devise across the table for her to take. Which she did, looking at it in confusion then at Sam.

"What's it for?" Janey asked him, looking back down at the device in her hands and pressing a button on it, as though hoping that it would tell her all the answers. Sam was tempted to just be quiet and let her try to figure it out herself just for the sheer amusement. But figured that would be cruel and also take far too long.

"It's a pager. Crowley got two for us. We'll be able to um… help one another a bit more easier during um… times when we aren't technically allowed to communicate in any way," Sam explained, digging into his pocket so that he could show Janey the matching pager that he had. Janey just stared at him for a moment or two before breaking out into a wide grin.

"Oh now, I fully agree with the corruption that your partners are doing of you. This is brilliant! We are gonna rock finals now!" Janey said with a cackle, which quite frankly scared Sam a little. She soon calmed down and looked at Sam, tilting her head slightly and frowning. "Seriously, why are you here?"

"Oh, clinic got cancelled for the day for some reason, so I figured I'd find you to give you that. Dunno what else I'm gonna do for the rest of the day. Given I was supposed to be away until later this evening, Crowley and Gabriel are out doing whatever it is they do for their jobs. Really, I don't dare ask," Sam added before Janey started to ask what it was they did. She really didn't seem to get the hint that he wouldn't know.

"So living with them is going well for you then? Hang on, how can you live with them but now know what they do for a living? How does that work?" Janey asked him, nose wrinkling as she was blatantly trying to work it out in her head.

"I'm here all the time practically, no one told us that our last two years would be this damn hectic! I thought we had another year of just… cruising through the random ass classes that we have to take to graduate before having to knuckle down for the real shit next year. So yeah, at the moment, I get home from classes and pretty much pass out on the sofa whilst Gabriel or Crowley either orders something in to eat or makes something. Depends on who it is that's in. And, you know, after that, work and college are the last things on anyones minds," Sam added with a wicked grin, which grew when Janey flushed a little and stared at him with wide eyes.

"Man, they really are a bad influence on you. I really am liking it! Though I'm so disappointed that you've yet to go into detail on just what it is you get up to in the bedroom. Come on, share just a little snippet. Ooh! Or, better yet, just film it for me. Go on, you know you want to! For me! For Christmas!" Janey exclaimed excitedly, like she actually thought Sam would agree to her request. Sure, he was a little interested in the whole filming it idea, but then giving it to her was not so much a good idea in his head.

"Yeah, not gonna happen, Janey. Sorry. Well, no, that's a lie, I'm not sorry at all. Besides, we don't do Christmas presents! We never do! No way am I giving you a film of me having sex with my partners and not getting anything from you in return! So definitely not going to happen," Sam told her, grinning when Janey just pouted at him, then huffed and closed the book she was no longer even pretending to read.

"Fine, fine. No sex tape. I get ya. So got any plans for the holidays?" Janey asked him, trailing invisible patterns over the cover of her book with her finger as she looked at Sam. Sometimes Sam wondered if she really was living vicariously through him, she showed far too much interest in his life with Crowley and Gabriel than was surely healthy.

"Not really. I think we're just gonna stay in and relax. Just catch up with one another. Because seriously, I wasn't joking about this year! I'm exhausted! Aren't you?" Sam asked, not mentioning that he was going to try and work up the nerve to ring Dean over Christmas as well. And definitely _not_ mention Crowley or Gabriel to him over the phone. Nope. Never going to happen.

"Huh, sounds nice. And yeah, this year is killing me and we're only half way through it! And then we have another year to come! Including LSATs! Sam, we're insane, you do know this, right? Who does this to themselves? Oh gods, what if we somehow manage to pass everything and them fail our LSATs? What do we do then?!" Janey asked, looking like she was becoming semi-hysterical at the thought.

"Um… well, I doubt that'll happen, but if it does… Crowley could threaten them into changing our grades? Or… pay them? He's rich. Bound to be able to meet their price, right?"

"Right, so if all else fails - mostly meaning us - then we have Crowley to fall back on. Oh thank God for that," Janey said with a small sigh of relief, actually looking like she'd just relaxed completely knowing that they had a back-up plan. Which Sam really should run by Crowley just to make sure he was happy to be on board with it.

Not that he thought Crowley would be opposed to it. Really, any time Sam showed evidence of having little to no morals whatsoever then Crowley was happy verging on ecstatic. It was actually a little adorable, but Sam wouldn't say that to the man's face. He liked his balls a little too much for that.

"Sounds like a plan. So, wanna go to Lacey's for something to eat? I could eat. I'm starving. So, Laceys?" Sam asked, already getting up from the table without even waiting for Janey's answer. It wasn't like she'd be saying no anyway. And when he looked at her to confirm it, he saw she was packing her stuff into her bag.

"Definitely. Food at Lacey's," Janey agreed, shouldering her bag and following Sam out of the library. The two students pulled their jackets a little closer, though California didn't exactly get to freezing temperatures even in December it still got a little chilly. "So have you spoken to Jess much since classes started?"

"Not really, haven't had the time. Amusingly, we went out for a meal with Jess and her parents. I found it amusing, so did Gabriel. Dunno about Jess and Crowley. Or her parents. We have since found out that Crowley is a smarmy, charming bastard. But only for so long. And as long as no one makes fun of Britain, and strangely, Scotland in particular. Still, made the evening so amusing once Jess' dad decided to - for reasons even Jess couldn't come up with - mention his dislike of Scotland," Sam told her, grinning widely as they both walked in the direction of Laceys and snickering when Janey burst into laughter.

"You're joking! Oh my God! What did Crowley do? What did _you_ do?!" Janey asked him, pushing the door open and following leading Sam to the booth they normally took. Both stopped and just stood there staring when they realised a group of freshmen were sitting there.

"Er…" Sam gaped, looking at Janey helplessly then turning back to face the impostors and booth stealers who were now looking at them like they were expecting Sam and Janey to say something.

"You're in our booth," Janey pointed out, her voice having a slight whine to it as she did so, not that Sam blamed her. He was well on his way to pulling a full out hissy fit. It was their booth dammit!

"I'm sorry, what?" The preppy jerk sitting nearest to where Sam was standing. To be fair, he might not be a preppy jerk, but right now he was sitting where Sam should be sitting and really the guy should be thankful Sam hasn't rang Crowley yet to rip out his innards.

It was possibly Sam was a little stressed from just how much school work he'd been doing and all the studying that'd taken up nearly all his time. It'd been a least a week since he'd actually had sex with either or both his lovers. He was beginning to get concerned that his balls would soon break.

"That booth? It's ours. So, shift it, Freshies. Please?" Sam added, just because he was polite. Living with a demon and a morally ambiguous archangel may have made him somewhat twisted, but he still had his manners. Plus he couldn't fight for shit against actual human beings and the preppy jerk kinda looked beefy.

"How about no?" Preppy Jerk's equally preppy and jerky friend said with a cocky sneer on his face which just made Sam want to punch him if only to get rid of it. However, he really like Lacey and her food and so didn't think he'd actually survive the next year and a half if he was banned. So he didn't.

"Dammit, I swear we weren't that jerky when we were freshers!" Janey complained to Sam, glaring at the four student still sitting in their seats and now all looking at Sam and Janey with matching hostile faces.

"We weren't. Freaking sports students. Come on, let's go sit at the front and talk to Lacey instead. Maybe she'll give us extra fries with our order because we've been made boothless by meatheads," Sam told her with a shrug. Janey just shot one last glare at the booth-stealers and walked to a different booth nearer the kitchens.

"I hate students."

"We're students," Sam couldn't help but point out, even if he didn't know what she meant and completely agreed with her. Judging by the glare she sent him, she didn't appreciate his words. "Of course, we're nothing like them."

"Good save. So, back to what we were talking about before. How did you stop Crowley from making Jess' dad sleep with the fishes? Or however the Brits put it. Though, gotta say, kinda rude of him to knock any country really," Janey added, absently reading over the menu even though Sam knew she knew it by heart because he did as well. Plus they both order the same thing nearly every time, depending on what time they got there.

"Oh, me and Gabriel intervened, said we had to get back because we'd forgotten the let the cat out and made a quick exit. And no, we don't have a cat. Haven't really had a chance to speak to Jess much after that, and all three of us decided that we would no longer be going to meals with anyone other than ourselves. Kinda disappointed about that actually. Crowley's reaction was priceless. I honestly thought he was going to stab the guy with his steak knife," Sam said with a grin on his face as he thought back to that night at the beginning of the year. Janey snorted inelegantly, which just made Sam grin even wider.

"Do you want a cat?"

"Hell no. I'm not a cat person. They're too… snooty. I prefer dogs but when I brought it up casually, Crowley glared me into submission and then told me to never bring it up again. I think he's had bad times with dogs in the past," Sam said, which wasn't a total lie. Crowley _had_ glared him into agreeing that they couldn't have a dog, but what Sam hadn't told Janey was that Crowley had then gone on a rant for the next forty minutes about hellhounds and how they were useless mutts that should all be put down painfully quick. Well, he had until Gabriel had tackled the man to the floor and tortured him into admitting that Crowley actually loved hellhounds and would go to play with his own batch whenever he had the time.

Sometimes Sam wondered if he was the only sane one in their household.

Then he remembered that he was willingly living with and sleeping with the insane duo and realised that, if anything, that made him _more_ insane than the other two. Possibly.

"So you're a dog person? And you're not allowed a dog? That sucks. But hey! Look in the mirror! You have the puppy dog eyes and the floppy hair, so basically you're a puppy! Maybe that's why they won't let you get one. You know, house is too small to have two large dogs running around," Janey told him, managing to keep a straight face up until Sam actually huffed and pouted at her. Then she just burst into giggles.

"You're mean."

"Aw! Sad puppy! Seriously though, when am I gonna get to actually meet your elusive lovers? I mean, I know practically everything about them and I think I'm one of the only people around that knows you're sleeping with both! Plus, I like to feel I had a place in getting you together with them both times! So really, I should meet them. And I should also be your maid of honour when you marry them. Well, one of them. Whatever. Semantics. So?" Janey asked him. Sam just stared at her for a moment or two as he tried to process exactly what it was Janey was asking him. When it hit him, he just glared.

"That's not amusing. And why am I the girl in that wedding scenario?! How do you know that I'm not the guy! Why are you assuming I'm the wife?" Sam asked, possibly whining a little but who could blame him?

"Really? You're trying to honestly tell me that you're the man in that relationship? Bear in mind all that you've told me and that you've also shown me copious amounts of photos that you have of them on your phone - not to mention that that, right there? Yeah, so very girly - and you honestly think I'm going to believe you're the man? Uh huh. Pull the other one, it has bells on it. So, I'm the maid of honour, right? Not Jess. Don't make Jess it! She's so muscling in on my fag hag duties!" Janey bitched, pouting as she slammed her fist on the table, which made Sam jump a little and Lacey - who had arrived at the table just as Janey finished her rant - glare at Janey.

"Now I know I didn't just see you abusing my diner, Miss Janey. And what's this about a wedding? Who's gettin' married and why ain't I got my invite yet?" Lacey asked, aiming her question to Sam, who felt his face practically set alight with the heat of his blush. He shot Janey - who just grinned helplessly - a glare before looking at Lacey with what he hoped to be his most innocent and yet confused expression.

"Oh, Janey's just being silly, Lacey. She's picking on me for setting me up with um… my partner. Well, sort of. She didn't, not really. But that's all though. No wedding. Well, that we know of. Sorry," Sam added with a small smile, kicking Janey under the table when she snickered softly behind the menu she was now hiding behind. He felt somewhat satisfied when Janey jumped and gave a muffled yelp.

"Well that's sad to hear. I do love a wedding. Oh well. So what can I get you kids?" Lacey asked them happily, which made Sam wonder if the woman was ever depressed, because being that happy all the time really couldn't be healthy. He, at least, liked to have a good angst every now and then.

Deciding that he should probably give his order, and absently wondering just why Lacey bothered to ask them when they ordered the same thing nearly every time they were there, Sam beamed brightly at Janey - in hopes it'd get him extra fries - and gave his order for a double bacon cheeseburger. He felt that somewhere in America, Dean was salivating.

"I'll have the same, but without the bacon part, thanks!" Janey added, folding her menu and putting it back in the stand. Lacey just nodded and noted down their orders, before putting the pad back in her apron.

"Okay then, shouldn't take too long. You two want your regular soda orders? Lemonade and a Mountain Dew, right?" Lacey asked, waiting to get nods from the two before heading back to the kitchen. Once she'd left, Sam aimed another glare at Janey, but didn't actually make Janey look remorseful at all. If anything, it just made her grin grow even larger.

"Oh come on, don't look at me like that! It was funny! Admit it, you wanted to laugh! And none of that would have happened anyway if you hadn't kept your lovers away from me like you're worried I'm gonna swoop in and steal them away from you!" Janey pointed out. Sam just glared at her even more, refusing to accept that she was right, because she really wasn't. At all. Well, she definitely wasn't about the whole worried she'd steal Gabriel and Crowley away from him. Because she wouldn't. But she was maybe right about Sam keeping her away from them. Quite frankly, he was just worried about what would happen to himself if they ever did meet. The thought was terrifying.

"Whatever. You're not meeting them. Maybe you can meet them when we graduate. Maybe. So, changing the subject, are you going home for Christmas?" Sam asked her, moving back from where he was leaning on the table when a waitress brought their drink order over. He gave a small nod to the waitress and took a deep sip of his Mountain Dew - something Gabriel had gotten him hooked on.

"No drink should ever be that colour," Janey muttered, eyeing Sam's drink like it would attack her at any minute. Really, Sam didn't think she had any place to say anything seeing as her drink was cloudy pale yellow.

"Yours looks like diabetic piss, so clearly we both have differing ideas on acceptable drink appearances. Now answer my question, are you going home for Christmas?" Sam asked her again, ducking out the way when she flicked her drink at him with her straw. "Bitch."

"Pah. Whatever. You're the bitch in this relationship. And probably your other, less platonic one as well. Don't deny it, Wifey," Janey said, grinning evilly when Sam scowled at her but couldn't stop himself from blushing either. Janey really did show far too much interest in his sex life. It was weird. "And yes, I'm going home for Christmas. But I'll be back before New Years Eve. So hey, we can go out to celebrate the new year! With your lovers! And we can meet!"

"No. Not going to happen. I plan to bring in the new year by spending it in bed. And I definitely am not spending it keeping you and Crowley take over the world or something equally as horrific. Definitely not," Sam added with a dramatic shudder, wincing when Janey kicked his shin.

"So mean! Maybe you should bring it up with Crowley and Gabriel and see what they think."

"I'm making an executive decision. It's not gonna happen. There. Sorted. Ooh, food!"

* * *

So, Sam may have stalled a little and waited until the Christmas break had started for five days before he finally screwed up the courage and locked himself in the bedroom with his phone and the number Bobby had given him. Of course, he was well aware that a locked door wasn't going to keep either of his lovers out - as Gabriel had happily pointed out by popping into the room to make sure Sam was alright.

Sam wasn't alright but he didn't tell Gabriel that, though the man seemed to know, and instead just sat on the end of the bed, scrap on paper next to him and he fidgeted and flipped his phone from one hand to the other. Really, he was possibly being a little ridiculous. If only because chances are that Dean wouldn't be able to answer. And really, Sam just wanted to hear his brothers voice, so he'd be quite happy if it went to voicemail.

In fact, he'd prefer that.

Deciding that he really needed to grow a pair, Sam took a deep breath - not that it helped calm his nerves at all - and finally just dialled the number. He felt his stomach try to escape via his mouth when it started to ring, and only just stopped himself from hanging up.

Of course, as soon as he heard his brother answer, Sam's courage left him and he hung up, letting his phone drop to the floor as he dropped his face into his hands and groaned to himself.

"Sam?" Sam jumped when Gabriel put a hand on his shoulder, and looked up to see him looking down at him with a concerned look on his face. "You alright?"

Gabriel crouched down so that he could look up to Sam's face and picked the phone up that Sam had dropped, handing it to him and smiling brightly when Sam took it. Though neither one mentioned Sam's hands shaking, they both were well aware of it and the reasons for it.

"Did you come in here for a reason, Gabe?" Sam asked, not taking his eyes off the phone in his hands and fearing that any minute Dean would ring back. Even if he knew his brother wouldn't do that as Sam's number no longer showed.

"Just came in to see if you were alright. Crowley told me what you were doing in here and he's sent me in seeing as you blocked him out with salt. Bit mean, Sammy," Gabriel scolded jokingly, making Sam give a weak chuckle and a shrug.

"Didn't know how to keep you out," Sam admitted in a quiet voice, giving a little shrug and a small, half-hearted smile when Gabriel nudged him to look at him.

"Yes, well, that's a little trick I'll have to teach you at some point, should my annoying family decide to come on down and join the humanity party. Or decide that the world needs a good Second Coming to get the juices flowing," Gabriel added musingly, nose wrinkling as he clearly thought about just how that sentence sounded out loud. It did make Sam chuckle though, which was clearly what Gabriel was aiming for if the wide grin was anything to go by.

"That's a disturbing image. Thanks for that," Sam muttered, trying to rid himself of the image of old school style angels getting off with one another out of his head. He shuddered at the thoughts.

"Yeah, sorry. So, have you rang him yet?" Gabriel asked him, nudging the hand Sam was holding his phone in just so that Sam couldn't deliberately misunderstand him.

"I did… but I hung up as soon as he answered. I don't think I can do this, Gabe! What if he agreed with Dad? What if he thinks I abandoned him and he hates me for it?" Sam asked him, voice barely a whisper as he admitted all of his fears about this phone call out loud. He gave a muffled grunt when Gabriel just yanked him into a hug and began to stroke up and down his back.

"Sammy, I can't say I really know your brother. But I know what you've told me and what little bits Bobby told us whilst we were with him, and well, Dean isn't going to hate you for anything. I promise you that. And if, for reasons unknown, he does, then me and Crowley will be there for you and you know Bobby won't be letting you down any time soon. So all you have to do is ring Dean and find out. Come on, Sam. You need to talk to your brother. Ever since you got his number, it's been on your mind constantly. I know this, Crowley knows this. And not just because we can actually read your thoughts. Sam, ring your brother and then come out and let us know. I'll get rid of the salt as well, before Crowley rips us both a new one and you won't have to call your brother because Crowley will have killed us both," Gabriel pointed out and both of them tilted their heads to look at the hastily scattered line of salt across the doorway.

"How come all the protections on Bobby's place didn't keep him out? And the holy water didn't hurt him either," Sam pointed out, deciding that seeing as Gabriel had sort of brought it up, Sam could finally ask about the things that had been bugging him since he'd found out what Crowley was.

"I'm an archangel. Not an awful lot I can't do when I put my mind to it. And we've told you that Crowley's pretty high up the demon chain, holy water doesn't really affect him like it would a lesser demon. Same with saying Christo and anything else like that. And good luck trying to exorcise him. That'll just piss him off," Gabriel added with a small grin which told Sam that Gabriel had probably done just that at least once in his and Crowley's long friendship. Sam just snorted and shook his head at the man, feeling a little sorry for Crowley whenever Gabriel had felt a little bored and decided to take it out on the demon.

"Huh, guess with you as his friend, then Crowley doesn't really have to worry about most things normal demons would have to worry about."

"Exactly. And you won't either. Well, have to worry about things most humans have to worry about. Doubt you really have to worry too much about the salt levels of your average McDonalds," Gabriel added musingly.

"I think even humans have to worry about that. But I know what you meant," Sam added just in case Gabriel felt he needed to just make sure.

"Good. So, think you can call your brother now? If you do, I'll make sure to have Crowley get you a nice steak dinner or something," Gabriel coaxed with a grin on his face as he stood up from Sam.

"I'll try at least. And tell Crowley that I think I'm more in the mood for curry," Sam added as Gabriel had moved as though to snap his fingers to leave the room. A motion Sam didn't quite understand as Crowley had told him that Gabriel didn't actually need to do that.

"Indian?"

"Please."

"Okay, now call Dean and then come out when you're done," Gabriel told him before snapping himself out of the room before Sam could respond and delay having to ring Dean anymore. Sam just sighed quietly and then looked at the phone in his hand before calling the number once more.

This time he managed to stop himself from hanging up just as Dean answered, though it was a close thing given Dean sounded a little annoyed, probably having guessed that it was Sam who had rang him earlier.

_"Hello? Look, this is getting pretty annoying, so either speak or hang up already."_ Sam's breath hitched at hearing his brother's voice once more, feeling a knot in his stomach loosen somewhat. _"Dude, look, I'm gonna hang up in a minute if you don't speak. The heavy breathing thing doesn't really do it for me."_

Sam couldn't hold back the chuckle that escaped him at Dean's words, realising that his brother really hadn't changed all that much since Sam had last spoken to him. And the yearning feeling he got at that realisation just grew, which probably was the reason behind Sam finally speaking.

"Dean." Silence met him on the other end of the line once he managed to speak. Admittedly he wasn't sure what else he could say, but the fear in him began to steadily increase the longer it took for his brother to respond.

_"Sammy?"_ Dean breathed out, sounding like he'd just been punched in the stomach.

"Yeah, Dean. S'me," Sam whispered, practically trying to climb into his phone as he pressed it into his ear.

_"Sammy! What the- Are you alright? What's happened? Is everything alright? Sammy?!"_ Sam blinked and stared at the wall in front of him at the barrage of questions thrown at him by his brother. Giving a small smile and shaking his head, even though he knew Dean couldn't see him, Sam just moved a little so he could lie back on the bed.

"I'm fine, Dean. I just… wanted to hear your voice, I guess," Sam admitted, feeling like a complete girl in doing so.

_"Well let me tell you, it's awesome to hear yours. So you're really alright? Promise?"_ Dean asked him, sounding like he wasn't entirely sure he should believe what Sam would tell him.

"I promise, I'm fine. How are you? And Dad? You two still alright?" Sam asked, turning to lie on his side and picking at the duvet on the bed, just happy to have this tiny connection to his brother once more.

_"We're fine, Sam. How's school going, College-Boy? You settled in alright?"_ Sam grinned and rolled his eyes at Dean's new nickname for him. He decided to let Dean change the subject from their dad without pointing it out, not really wanting to talk about him anyway.

"It's going great. I'm not living in Halls anymore, so I can give you my new address if you want. Maybe send me a letter or postcard every now and then just to let me know you're still alive," Sam said, using a light-hearted tone so that Dean wouldn't think he was nagging him in anyway, but silently hoping that Dean would take him up on the offer.

_"Aw, Sammy… fine, let me know your new address and I'll try to send you something every so often. At least I'll know where you live should I need you or anything. So, you're really doing alright, Sammy?"_ Dean asked him, and Sam grinned and nodded his head before realising that Dean couldn't see him.

"I'm doing really great, seriously. I just… missed you and wanted to hear your voice. So where are you right now? Hunting anything interesting?" Sam asked, shifting once more so that he was lying on his stomach and grabbed a pillow to rest on.

_"Right now? We're just outside of Seattle. I think. Dunno, dude, somewhere in Washington at least. We think we're hunting a werwolf. How cool is that? Man, I love these things. So cool! We've got the silver bullets out and everything. I am so stoked about this hunt, Sammy! You have no idea what you're missing out on!"_ Dean exclaimed happily and Sam could just see the excited look on his brother's face. Dean got a little too excited about what he considered to be old school monsters; Sam tried to see the excitement in it, but so far he'd failed.

"Um… no, you're probably right. So, you're gonna be hunting over Christmas then?" Sam asked, not too sure Dean would appreciate if Sam told him the truth in that he really did know what he would be missing and well, Sam didn't think he was emotionally missing it all that much. Dean would read that to mean Sam wasn't missing Dean. Because Dean was an overemotional moron and Sam honestly wondered if his brother was the girl that he always claimed Sam was.

_"Huh? Christmas? Shit, is that the time of the year again? Huh. Then in that case, guess it depends on how long this hunt goes on. The first full moon is tomorrow night, so maybe? How long until Christmas?"_ Dean asked him. Sam just snorted and shook his head, trust Dean to forget that it was Christmas around the corner.

"It's the twenty-second. So chances are you will be hunting then? Sucks. Have you seen Bobby recently?" Sam asked, deciding to change the subject from the Christmas that Dean had totally forgotten about.

_"Bobby? Er… Dad and Bobby kinda had a disagreement after you left for college and we haven't actually been back since. Dunno when we'll be going back either. Though I think Dad's rang him a couple of times since whenever he needed help on a hunt or something. Why ask? And hey, how'd you get this number? I had to get a new one like a month after you left and I know you didn't ring Dad to get it, so?"_ Dean asked him, and the way he spoke, Sam just knew that his brother was suspicious and had an idea.

"Just wondered and I er… I got your number from Bobby," Sam admitted, shrugging even though Dean couldn't see it.

_"So you've called Bobby then? How's he doing?"_

"No… I went to stay with him during the summer for a little bit. Was nice to just… catch up. He gave me your number then. And he's doing alright. Still as grumpy as ever," Sam told him with a chuckle as he thought back to some of Bobby's grumpier moments. Judging by the soft chuckle Dean gave, he too was reminiscing on some classic Bobby grump moments.

_"You went to see Bobby then? Good, least you've got somewhere to go to when you wanna escape college for a little while. You heading there next summer?"_ Sam wrinkled his nose and shrugged as he thought about the answer, before deciding it would probably be best if he answered in a way that Dean would be able to catch.

"Dunno, depends on a couple of things really. I might be though," Sam admitted finally, not too sure if he was hoping Dean would take that to mean yes and try to meet up with him there, or if Dean was just being his usual nosey-about-Sammy's-life self.

_"Well, you should! Be good for you to stay in touch, ya know? Shit, dude, I better be going. Me and dad are gonna be checking around, see if we can find out who the hell this werewolf is. You'll call me if you need me, right? Any time?"_ Dean asked him, sounding like he wasn't too sure he wanted the phone call to end just in case Sam never did ring him again. Not that that was going to happen.

"Course I will. It okay if I just call to catch up or whenever I kinda miss you?" Sam asked tentatively, nibbling on his lip and terrified that Dean would tell him no. Which would suck a little and probably break Sam's heart.

_"Sammy, you can call me anytime you like! Well, maybe not in the middle of the night for no reason, but other than that? Call me whenever you want! And if I can't answer, then leave a message and I'll definitely get back to you as soon as I can, okay?"_ Sam gave a silent sigh of relief at his brother's answer and grinned brightly into the pillow under his chin.

"Okay. I guess I'd better let you go then. Call you sometime soon then?" Sam asked, not entirely sure he would, but he felt happier knowing that he could should he feel the need to. Knowing him, it would be another two years again, unless something happened. Sam really hoped it wasn't the latter.

_"Yeah, you better. Stay safe, Sammy,"_ Dean muttered before he hung up and Sam was left just listening to silence on the other end. Giving a small sigh, he slumped down into the bed and felt all the stress he'd been feeling about that call just leave him, leaving him slightly exhausted and very hungry. He sat up on the bed and grinned when the scent of curry drifted over to him.

As he left the bedroom to head towards where there would be food, Sam silently hoped that Crowley had popped (or whatever demons did to move vast distances in seconds) over to Balti Towers for their dinner as Sam was slightly in love with their jalfrezi.


	13. Year 3, Part 3

Part Three

Sam woke up on Christmas morning with a smile as he stretched in the bed, feeling the heat radiate off of Crowley sleeping next to him and shifting so that he could curl into him.

"You're gonna have to wake up soon," Crowley grumbled, shifting so that he could curl his fingers through Sam's hair, which just made Sam want to purr and gave him no inclination to move from where he was.

"Dun'wanna," Sam muttered, smile not leaving his face even as he cuddled - though not the word he'd call it to Crowley's face - closer to Crowley's chest and threw a leg over Crowley's so the demon wouldn't think to leave. Something Sam knew Crowley would do if he thought it would move Sam at all.

"WAKE UP!" Sam and Crowley both groaned when Gabriel flung himself onto the bed, beaming brightly at them both as he landed on top of them. Sam glanced at him, blinked and then burst into laughter at what the strange man was wearing. "What?"

"Why-why are you wearing that?!" Sam exclaimed through his giggles, rolling on the bed and clutching at his stomach. He glanced over to see Crowley just sneering at Gabriel in disgust, having moved to sit up against the headboard.

"What's wrong with it? This is my day! I brushed off my old uniform! Awwwe! Behold! I am The Archangel Gabriel of the Lord!" Gabriel said pompously, standing up on the bed and strumming his tiny gold harp. Sam just took in the image of Gabriel in a toga made of a sheet with a wonky pipe cleaner halo wedged on his head and tiny gold wings on his back; and promptly burst into giggles again.

"You're a moron. I ain't seen any angel look like that except in some godawful children's nativity play," Crowley grouched, moving to get off the bed, stretching as he did so. Sam just giggled softly as he lay on his side and watched his two lovers bicker, Gabriel now sulking, arms crossed over his chest and just completing the look of a small child dressed as an angel.

"Hey! I put effort into this! Look, my wings move!" Gabriel exclaimed, looking over his shoulder as his wings did indeed twitch a little, though a gold feather came loose and fell onto the bed. Sam snickered and quickly stifled it with his hand as he moved to pick up the feather. He was a little shocked to find that it was an actual feather and was less gold and more amber coloured.

"It's a real feather?" Sam asked, holding the feather up, eyes widening when Crowley and Gabriel both spun to stare at him and the feather in his hands.

"Um… You can touch that?" Gabriel asked, which struck Sam as a completely redundant question given he was looking at Sam holding the thing. Instead of pointing that out, Sam just shrugged and nodded, looking back at the feather in his hands and stroking it delicately with a finger before he carefully placed it on the bedside table.

"Huh, looks like you need to work something out, Trickster. It can wait though. Seeing as we're all awake now, we can go and have something to eat. And give Moose his presents," Crowley muttered, grabbing one of Sam's huge hoodies and throwing it at Sam before picking up his own dressing gown and pulling it on. Something Sam saw as a shame as he'd much prefer for Crowley to carry on walking around in the pair of sweatpants that he'd pulled on the night before.

At the thought of presents though, Sam decided against complaining about Crowley covering up and instead just pulled on his own hoodie and quickly followed Gabriel's lead of getting off the bed and climbed out himself. He then quickly followed his two lovers through the house into the front room and threw himself onto the sofa.

"Food?" Sam asked, grinning when Gabriel moved to flop down on top of Sam on the sofa whilst Crowley just stared at the two and walked off, grumbling under his breath about children and annoying demigods. Sam just snickered and shoved at Gabriel a little to make him move some of his weight off of him. "You're heavy."

"Hey! I'm an angel! I'm delightful! And perfect! And—"

"Heavy," Sam interrupted, grinning when Gabriel pouted at him and moved to straddle his chest. Sam grunted as he was winded slightly, then reached up to straighten out Gabriel's halo. "You really do look a little ridiculous in this."

"I look awesome in this. I inspire awe when people see me. You don't feel awed?" Gabriel asked him, head tilting to the side a little and thus making his halo wonky again. Sam just rolled his eyes and grinned at Gabriel, nudging at the man's wings and grinning even wider when they twitched.

"Sure, I'm awed. Awed that you would actually do this. I am awed by just how amusingly childish you are," Sam told him, chuckling when Gabriel just stuck his tongue out at him and in doing so, proving Sam's point.

"If you two have finished gossiping like washer women, then breakfast is ready," Crowley practically growled at them, scowling at them both from the kitchen doorway. Sam just smiled brightly at him and nudged at Gabriel to move.

"I'm so comfy though! Don't make me move! Can't you bring the food to us?" Gabriel asked, looking over Sam's head at Crowley. Sam shifted and grinned when he saw Crowley just staring at them both with a completely unimpressed look on his face.

"No. It's on the table. You wanna eat it hot, then you're gonna have to move. Don't bother me if you have it hot or cold," Crowley told them before turning and walking back to the kitchen. Sam's stomach rumbled and he looked back up at Gabriel before grinning and chucking him onto the floor. Snickering at Gabriel's surprised squawk - which with the wings just made him even more birdlike - Sam quickly got off the couch and made his way into the kitchen. He nearly molested Crowley when he saw the amount of food on the table.

"Oh gods, that's awesome," Sam mumbled as he sat down next to Crowley at the breakfast bar-come-table and started to pile his plate up with bacon, sausages, eggs and every other kind of breakfast food that Crowley could clearly think of. And some extra things that Sam had never even seen before. "S'that?"

"I'm sorry, what? I didn't hear you through the half-masticated pig swirling around in your mouth," Crowley drawled, glaring at him over his cup of tea - Sam personally thought that Crowley should have some coffee in the morning to make him less grumpy.

Instead of saying any of that though, Sam just swallowed his mouthful of food, smiled and pointed to the little round black things on Crowley's plate. "That? What is it? Looks… burnt."

"It's not burnt. It's called black pudding and it's meant to look like that," Crowley told him, eating a piece of the burnt looking food along with some sausage, "and it's delicious."

"It's disgusting. Don't ask what it's made of, you really don't want to know," Gabriel warned Sam as he took his own seat on the end and began to pile pancakes onto his plate then drowned them in syrup.

"_That_ is disgusting," Crowley said, looking at the gloopy mess on Gabriel's plate with a disgusted sneer, "black pudding is a perfectly reasonable breakfast food."

"What is it made of?" Sam asked, completely ignoring Gabriel's advice. If anything, that made him want to know even more.

"Congealed pigs blood," Crowley told him, smirking as he took another bite of the black pudding. Sam just stared at him in horror and then looked down at the remaining food on his plate.

"I think I've lost my appetite," Sam muttered, feeling a little sick at the thought of what was on Crowley's plate. He shoved his plate away from him and looked up to see Crowley chuckling and Gabriel rolling his eyes.

"No one's forcing you to eat any of it, but if you really don't want anything else to eat, then I guess we can move to the front room for your presents. Though, only if the idiot's finished eating his syrup with a side of pancakes," Crowley added with a sneer at Gabriel, who just grinned at him, mouth full of food. Swallowing, Gabriel stuck his tongue out at both of them and quickly finished the rest of his syrupy mess before he snapped away the mess with a click of his fingers.

"See, that is a perk to living with you two that I really, really love," Sam pointed out as he grinned at the lack of washing up they would have to do. Crowley just rolled his eyes at him before turning to look at Gabriel. Sam watched the two curiously as they seemed to have a silent conversation that ended with Crowley nodding and turning back to Sam.

"Right, I'm gonna head out to get your gift from us. Gabriel is gonna stay here to keep you out of trouble and to give you some other gifts that you've been sent," Crowley told him, glaring at Gabriel when he clicked his fingers and dressed Crowley in his usual suit, though this time complete with a seasonal tie. "The tie is not gonna happen, Trickster. Change it."

"So boring! Fine!" Gabriel huffed as he clicked his fingers once more and Crowley was given a metallic looking red tie. Crowley glanced at it suspiciously and then rolled his eyes.

"I suppose this is the best I can hope to expect from you. I'll be back in a bit, don't wreck the place whilst I'm gone," Crowley told them before leaving the house silently.

"How come he can do that? I thought demons were all… whooshy," Sam said, flailing his arms around a little as he tried to think of a better word to describe what he meant. Thankfully, Gabriel was on a similar wavelength to him - which was worrying for one of them but Sam couldn't quite bring himself to work out whom - and understood what he was trying to get across.

"The black cloud thing? Creepy, ain't it? Crowley can do that too, but he rather likes the meatsuit he's currently in - don't worry, the soul in that died centuries ago - so he's currently permanently in it. Well, until he gets bored and gets me to get him a new one. Really, the things I do for that man," Gabriel sighed, grinning at Sam when he noticed Sam still looking confused.

"Uh huh."

"What I was getting at was that Crowley doesn't need to do the smoke thing. He can just pop about wherever he wants," Gabriel told him with a smile and a shrug. Sam just grinned back and stood up from his stool, Gabriel following and then moving to lead him back into the living room.

"So… presents? I've got presents as in more than one?" Sam asked excitedly, probably sounding like an over-excited child but not caring n the least. Gabriel just looked at him and chuckled, shaking his head as he took a seat on the couch and patted the seat next to him for Sam.

"Yeah, more than one. Well, technically, you have one present from me and Crowley, but for some reason my annoying children decided to send you presents this year now that you know who I am. Apparently that means they get to be nosey and learn more about you, whilst also busy-bodying their way into my life and bribing you into liking them more than you like me by giving you gifts. As you do," Gabriel finished, picking up a small pile of gifts from down the side of the sofa that Sam hadn't noticed and placing them on Sam's lap. Sam just stared at them and then looked at Gabriel in confusion.

"Your… your kids? Like… Fenrir and um… Sleipnir?" Sam asked, looking back down at the gifts on his lap and wondering just how a wolf and a horse - an eight-legged horse, and Sam kinda wanted to know how Gabriel gave birth to that - could wrap presents.

"They have human forms," Gabriel told him, probably knowing exactly what Sam was thinking because neither of his lovers had any concept of what privacy meant and thus regularly listened to his thoughts.

"Right… and they bought me stuff?" Sam asked, looking up briefly from the presents before picking the top one up and giving it a hesitant shake. Upon hearing a clinking noise, he quickly put it back down and nibbled his lip. He really hoped he hadn't broken something before he'd even opened it.

"So why don't you open it and find out? I think that's from Fenrir and Jormungandr. And I think Hel and Sleipnir pooled together as well… Wait, how may do you have?" Gabriel asked him, moving closer as though to look himself. Sam just shrugged and then counted them.

"Four."

"Huh, right, well I know Fen and Jor pooled together, and that Hel probably helped Sleip some because he's neurotic and wouldn't want to upset you or something like that. So… Vali and Narli must have gotten you separate gifts or… no, I only have six kids," Gabriel assured after a brief pause where Sam honestly thought the man was doing a mental check that he didn't have any more kids wandering around somewhere. Something that was actually a little amusing to Sam.

"Well, I could read the tags," Sam pointed out, flicking the tag on the top present and reading it when it flipped over. "Yep, this one is from Fen and Jor. Says something about it helping me in the future? Sounds ominous," Sam muttered before he started to unwrap it and then gaped when a pair of knives fell out, thankfully in their sheaves as Sam really wouldn't have appreciated getting stabbed in the groin.

"Huh… it's… well, um… have I done something to piss my kids off?" Gabriel asked, eyeing the knives on Sam's lap warily, then looking at the rest of the unopened presents as though scared to find out what else they held.

"Why? These are amazing!" Sam exclaimed, picking one up and pulling it out of the sheaf to see a dull grey metal as opposed to the steel and silver coloured blades he was used to.

"Yeah, and they'll hurt if you stab me with them. So, don't? Please?" Gabriel added with a small hopeful smile. Sam just chuckled and put the knife back into its sheaf and placed it on the couch between them.

"How come it's harmful to you?' Sam asked as he picked up the next present, which was box shaped and rather heavy. Deciding not to shake this one, he turned to look at Gabriel for his answer before opening it.

"It was cast with, well I assume Fen's blood or Jor's blood. Someone who shares my blood at least. Knowing Jor, he'd have wanted to coat it in his venom, but let's be thankful he didn't as I don't fancy bringing you back to life because you nicked yourself with one," Gabriel muttered, looking at Sam shrewdly. Sam just gave his best offended look and huffed. He had been raised around weapons. Sure, he had trouble not walking into walls and doors on a good day but he was amazing when handling weapons. A natural one could say. Well, blades. Guns not so much. Sure, he was good with them now… but he was fairly certain Dean still remembered the first time he'd held a loaded gun given the way he flinched every time Sam held a gun near him.

"Huh. Interesting to know. So any idea what Hel and Sleipnir have got me?" Sam asked, looking at the box in his lap. He then turned to Gabriel with a questioning look. "Where's Crowley? Should he be taking this long?"

"Don't worry about Crowley. He's waiting until you've finished with those gifts before he gets a message from me telling him it's safe to come back with your gift from us," Gabriel explained, which just piqued Sam interest even more as to what his present actually was. Deciding the only way he was going to find out was if he opened his presents, Sam quickly began to tear into the paper. He blinked and gaped when he saw brand new copies of the texts he'd been coveting for his upcoming LSATs and a professional looking organiser.

"Oh wow. How did they know I'd need these books? This is amazing!" Sam muttered to himself more than Gabriel as he picked up the book on the top and started to flip through it. He jumped a little when Gabriel reached over and gently pulled the books out of Sam's hands.

"You've still got presents to open, Sammy. You can geek out over them when you've opened everything, if you want. Also, they know what you're studying because I told them. Simple," Gabriel explained before Sam could complain to him. The books were carefully placed on the floor by their feet and Gabriel nodded to the other presents left on Sam's lap.

"Oh yeah. Right. So… this one's from Narli? Looks like you were right about him and Vali sending me a present each then," Sam said, smiling at Gabriel before turning back and opening the present. Inside was a thick, braided leather band which Sam picked up and smiled at the feel of the soft leather. "This is really nice!"

"Huh, really is. What did his brother get you? They're twins so don't be too shocked if it's the same thing. If they weren't my kids, I'd honestly think that they shared a brain or something," Gabriel muttered with a shake of his head. Sam just chuckled and held out his arm for Gabriel to tie the band on to and then moved to open his last present.

"So, not exactly the same thing, but if they didn't discuss what they were getting before hand, then yeah, kinda gotta agree with you on the shared brain thing," Sam admitted with a small chuckle as he pulled out a leather cord with a silver ring on the end.

"Oh hey! That was mine!" Gabriel exclaimed, reaching over to look at the ring which had - what Sam assumed to be Norse - runes carved around the outside of it.

"Yours?" Sam asked, tugging the ring back so that he could look at it more closely, not that he had any hope in actually reading the runes as that was one ancient language he'd never gotten around to attempting to learn it.

"Yeah, that's technically my name around the edge. Well, it's Loki at least. Huh, wonder where he got that from," Gabriel muttered even as Sam just shrugged and hung it around his neck, rubbing the rough metal between his fingers. He glanced over when Gabriel clicked his fingers and the ripped wrapping paper disappeared.

"Is Crowley coming back now? Can you tell me what you've got me? Or give me any clues?" Sam asked him excitedly, letting the ring fall back against his chest as he moved to sit sideways on the couch and look at Gabriel. Gabriel just grinned widely at him and shook his head.

"Nope, Crowley would possibly rip my balls off if I did that. So you're just going to have to wait. It shouldn't be too long anyway, Crowley knows that it's alright for him to come back now," Gabriel told him, just smiling brightly when Sam pouted at him.

"Fine fine. I can wait. Though, surely Crowley wouldn't mind if you just gave me a little clue?" Sam pointed out with a small pleading smile, deciding to see if his puppy dog eyes as Dean called them would work on Gabriel.

"He won't give you any clues because he knows I won't let him," Crowley announced from behind them before Sam could fully use his pleading eyes on Gabriel and find out if he would have caved. However Sam really wasn't caring about that as he was too busy trying to look over the back of the couch to see what Crowley had brought back with him. Given that Gabriel was trying to cover his eyes and prevent him from seeing, it was a little harder than he'd first anticipated.

"Stop covering my eyes! Let me see! I wanna see!" Sam whined, trying to pull Gabriel's hand away from his eyes. He heard Crowley chuckle from in front of them, apparently having moved whilst Sam and Gabriel had been fighting.

"Just sit still for a bloody minute and then Gabriel will move his hand, alright?" Crowley told him, immediately making Sam settle back down and sit properly on the couch, though possibly not all too patiently. He was a little startled when a warm something was placed on his lap.

Gabriel's hand moved from his eyes as soon as whatever it was was placed on his lap and Sam looked down to see a small black puppy unsteadily sitting on his lap, yawning widely, little floppy ears covering it's eyes adorably. Sam pretty much felt his heart melt as he took it in, looking up sharply at Crowley as soon as he noticed the sharper than usual claws and the deep red eyes.

"Um… This isn't a normal dog, is it?" Sam asked, warily moving his hand to let the puppy sniff his hand and smiling softly when it gave a tiny little growl and began to lick his fingers. "He's so cute though!"

"Hmm. He's a hellhound runt. It was either give him to you or drown it. Annoying little shit ignored everything I told it," Crowley grumbled, taking away any of the sentiment that might have come with giving Sam a puppy for Christmas. Not that Sam cared at all. He'd just got a _puppy_ for Christmas! Sure, it was technically a beast that was trained to hunt down and drag humans into Hell, but it was so cute!

"How come I can see it?" Sam asked absently, grinning as he fussed and teased at the puppy, scooping it up and hugging it to his chest when it stumbled a little. He only just held himself back from making cooing noises when it yawned and nuzzled under his chin.

"Anyone can see him. He's not going to be used as any other Hellhound would be, so there's no need for him to be invisible except to his future victims. So don't worry, just because you can see him doesn't mean he'll be dragging you down into Hell as soon as you let down your guard," Crowley assured him with a smirk, before rolling his eyes as he realised that Sam wasn't really paying him any attention at all.

"Look, say hello to your other daddies, Pavlov," Sam muttered lifting the puppy up a little and facing him to look, first at Crowley - which made the newly named Pavlov to give a little growl and bark - then to Gabriel - who made Pavlov cry and twist, trying to get back to Sam. Sam didn't hold back the coos this time as he fussed and hugged the puppy, looking over at Gabriel in confusion.

"He knows what I am, so he's scared of me. Dunno why he barked at Crowley though, maybe he's got common sense? Can I just ask though… why Pavlov?" Gabriel asked him quietly, grinning as he watched Sam fuss over the puppy in his arms.

"Dunno, always wanted a dog and I wanted to call it Pavlov… well I did once I knew who Pavlov was. Figured it'd be amusingly ironic. Plus, he looks like a Pavlov. Don't you? Yes! Yes, you do! So cute! We'll train you and you'll be all grr and rip nasty lecturers to shreds for daddy, won't you?" Sam gushed, ignoring the slightly disturbed looks both Gabriel _and_ Crowley were giving him and just grinning when Pavlov wriggled excitedly in his hands.

"Told you this wasn't a good plan," Crowley grumbled to Gabriel. Sam glanced up to see Gabriel give an absent shrug as he carried on staring at Sam and Pavlov like he wasn't too sure what he was watching.

"Aw! Daddies are being silly! Um… What do you feed a hellhound?"

* * *

It turns out that hellhounds will eat anything that bleeds. Well, that's how Crowley explained it. Though Crowley had also pointed out that they prefer it if the bleeding came with twitching and pained screams, but that Pavlov was a runt and so beggars couldn't be choosers. Sam did note, however, that Crowley made sure they had the best quality steaks available for it though.

The day after Christmas (Boxing Day according to Crowley - who was promptly ignored), Gabriel and Crowley had asked Sam if he wanted to spend the last week of the winter holidays at Bobby's place, and that given Sam now knew what they were, they didn't have to actually travel the whole way. Sam had agreed before he'd really put much thought into what he was agreeing to other than getting to see Bobby.

Now that he was sitting in the car on the way through the town Bobby lived outside of - Gabriel pointing out that Bobby would be suspicious if they arrived without having to have come in a car - and realised that he was taking an Archangel, a Demon and a hellhound puppy into the house of a highly suspicious hunter.

"You know you're gonna have to train that mutt to not follow you around everywhere before you have to go back to your classes, right?" Crowley asked from the front, getting Sam's thoughts away from his impending doom that would be coming in the form of Bobby's rifle and on to the fact that Pavlov seemed to be a little clingy with Sam and had strange ways of dealing with separation anxiety.

Like, for example, when Sam had gone to the store to stock up on things they might need when at Bobby's, and had been a little startled to walk down aisle five and practically trip over Pavlov who had been sitting waiting for him. Turns out Pavlov was quite good at utilising the shadows around him to get to wherever Sam happened to be.

"He has a point. Doubt it'd go down well if a huge black dog just suddenly appeared in the middle of your lecture one day just because he was lonely. Gonna have to train him to accept you'll be gone for a few hours a day," Gabriel told him. Sam just shrugged and looked down at where Pavlov was currently sleeping across his lap. It was possible that in the couple of days he'd had the puppy, that Sam had spoilt it rotten.

"I know that, I really do. Doesn't mean I have any idea on how to go about it though," Sam muttered, running his fingers through the soft fur on Pavlov's head and grinning when the dog nuzzled closer to his hand but didn't wake up.

"Better find out then, hadn't you? Bet Bobby's got some books or something that might help you. Well, they'd help you keep him out at least," Crowley pointed out as though it were an after thought. Sam just gaped at the back of his head and then huffed loudly and went back to fussing Pavlov. The nervous, sinking feeling in his stomach growing a little when they arrived on Bobby's property and slowed to pull to a stop in front of the house.

The door to Bobby's house was flung open with a bang, shocking Pavlov awake with a growl as Bobby walked out onto the porch, Rumsfeld moving quickly from his place on Bobby's truck to stand in front of his owner. Sam grinned as he gave a small wave to Bobby and opened the door, grabbing the (fourth) collar around Pavlov's neck. The dog seemed to like the taste of leather and had eaten the previous three until Gabriel had gotten a chain one.

"Bobby!" Sam greeted happily, all nerves he'd been feeling put aside for the time being, though he knew they'd soon return once the pleasantries had been taken care of.

"Sam! Have a good Christmas? See you got a pet," Bobby pointed out, grinning as he nodded to Pavlov. The big brave hellhound having hidden behind Sam's legs as soon as he'd caught sight of Rumsfeld.

"Yeah! He's called Pavlov! He's so cute!" Sam gushed, unable to stop himself as he'd apparently turned into a doting father since getting him. He bent down slightly so that he could pick Pavlov up and show him to Bobby properly.

"Finally got your dog then? About damn time!" Bobby said with a chuckle as he watched Pavlov wriggle to get closer to Sam's face. Sam just beamed brightly at him and nodded, glancing at Crowley and Gabriel when they walked over with their bags. Bobby just stepped aside and motioned for them to come into his house.

"Come on, Sam, time to go see Bobby. Don't worry so much, he's not gonna hate you if he finds out," Gabriel muttered to him, placing a hand on Sam's elbow and nudging him to move to follow Bobby. Sam hesitated slightly, before pressing his nose into Pavlov's head and then straightening up and walking into the house. He'd have to face up eventually after all.

* * *

The rest of the week passed quickly, a little too quickly for Sam, though nothing was brought up that suggested Bobby was suspicious about Crowley and/or Gabriel, so Sam had decided not to bring it up. Though a little voice in the back of his mind warned him that putting it off until Bobby found out by his own means would not end well for anyone. He managed to ignore that though and carried on just pretending that he wasn't completely paranoid about what would happen _should_ Bobby find out Sam was sleeping with a demon. And had a pet hellhound.

Of course, that happy little blissful world of pretend ignorance completely abandoned him on the last night of their stay when Bobby asked Sam if he could talk to him privately. And then led him into his office when Sam had nodded - a little confused - which just made Sam want to backtrack and run to hide behind Crowley.

"Sam, sit down and stop looking like I'm about to shoot you," Bobby grumbled as he motioned for Sam to take the other seat int he room. Sam flinched a little and then relaxed upon noticing that at least Bobby had moved the chairs so the desk wasn't separating them. He moved to sit down and couldn't help but feel like he was facing his doom. Even if he was fairly certain Bobby wouldn't actually kill _him_.

"Um… something you wanted to talk to me about, Bobby?" Sam asked, wincing as he realised just how guilty he sounded. And he wasn't even too sure why, because it wasn't like it was his fault he'd fallen for a damned demon and Trickster.

"First, is there something you think you should be tellin' me, Sam?" Bobby asked him in a frustratingly calm voice which gave Sam no indication whatsoever as to whether or not Bobby suspected anything. Going on hope, Sam went with him not knowing anything.

"Um… no?" Once again, Sam winced and cursed himself for not sounding sure of himself and posing it more as a question than an answer. Really, he was beginning to wonder if his scholarship wasn't actually a complete fluke.

"You sure? Because you don't sound it. Now, I was wondering if you wanted to tell me anything about your two friends in there?" Bobby asked him, making Sam fidget and wish he was anywhere but there right then.

"No… I don't think so. Do I?" Sam asked deciding to really just face the music as Bobby clearly suspected _something_. Sam just wasn't too clear on what that was and so he didn't want to be owning up to anything worse.

Bobby just sighed and pinned Sam with one of those stares that told Sam not to fuck about and tell him the truth. Strangely, as much as Sam rebelled against his dad, those looks from Bobby never failed and Sam felt his defences crumbling the longer he was pinned with it.

"Sam, stop beating about the bush, how about you just tell me what I want to know, alright?" Bobby asked him, though giving Sam no indication that he had any choice in the matter. Sam just gave a small sigh and slumped in his seat, realising that he really had no way out of this.

"Okay, what is it you wanna know?" Sam asked under his breath, deciding to just get it over with - well, now that he knew stalling wasn't going to be helping him at all.

"Don't sound like you're about to meet a firing squad. Just tell me, and don't bother lying either, what it is that Crowley and Gabriel are and if that's their real names," Bobby told him, making Sam wince and mentally flail and as he tried to think about how he could word it in a way that wouldn't get Bobby shooting someone.

"Um… human?" Sam winced even as he said it, just knowing that Bobby wouldn't believe him. Not that he should, because Sam really did suck at lying to those he knew. "No, sorry, fine. Just… don't shoot anyone, yeah?"

"Fine. I won't shoot anyone just yet, but I ain't making any promises that I won't when I walk out of here," Bobby growled, narrowing his eyes at Sam who just felt himself deflate a little.

"Right, yeah, of course. Guess that's the most I could really hope for. Right. So…" Sam paused, realising that he couldn't think of a good way of putting it. "So you obviously know they're not human. Um… I dunno how to tell you what they really are though."

"How about you just do? Just tell me what they are, Sam and I promise not to react until you've explained everything you feel I need to know?" Bobby suggested. Sam just shrugged, not really seeing any better way of doing it.

"Okay. So, Gabriel… that's um… that's not his real name. He's er… well he's more well known as Loki?" Sam said with a wince, deciding not to break the archangel part giving the less people that knew, the less likely people who shouldn't know would find out.

"Okay. And Crowley?"

"Right, Crowley is his real name as far as I know, and well…" Sam winced and looked down at his hands instead of looking at Bobby, preferring not to see what the man's reaction would be. "Crowley's a crossroads demon and Pavlov is technically a hellhound."

Sam looked up when he rushed it all out, then winced once more as he realised that Bobby hadn't missed anything and understood exactly what Sam had said. Which really wasn't what Sam was hoping for if he was completely honest with himself.

"So you brought a demon and a trickster into my house? And didn't tell me? How did they ever get past the protections around the house?" Bobby asked him, voice still freakishly calm as he spoke. Not that it was helping Sam keep calm, though he was trying his hardest, not entirely sure he wanted to know how Pavlov would react were Sam to truly feel upset.

"Yes… and Ga-Loki kinda made them so that he and Crowley could leave. He did promise me that it still worked on everything else. Just not those two. And I believe him, Bobby. They've never… they've never given me a reason to fear them or hate them," Sam muttered, looking away as he didn't want to see any judgement in Bobby's eyes.

"Okay, so what? Crowley gave you one of his hellhounds for Christmas just because?"

"No… well, probably, but that's not what he told me. Pavlov is the runt of a litter of new hellhounds. Crowley decided to give him to me instead of killing him like he would have done normally. And he's cute, Bobby! He's not gonna randomly kill humans just because he should, because he wasn't trained to! I promise, Bobby, I wouldn't let him!" Sam pleaded, risking a glance up before looking away again when Bobby just continued to look blank with a hint of disbelief.

"Sam… so what? You just live in blissful ignorance as to what they do when you're not around? You weren't raised to do that, Sam! So why now?" Bobby asked him, no longer sounding calm and beginning to sound frustrated if anything. Sam gave a small shrug and then decided that it would possibly make things go easier and make Bobby believe him more if Sam actually met his eyes.

"No. I know how I was raised, Bobby. I ran away from how I was raised. But still, I didn't ignore it all. I just didn't know, alright? And it's not like I've ever come up against a demon or a Trickster. I had no idea how to protect myself against them, except with salt. And Bobby? They never gave me any reason to wonder if they were anything but human. I only found out after we got back from visiting you in the summer," Sam admitted with a small shrug, not sure if that admission would help him in anyway, but not really wanting to hold anymore back than he already had.

"And you trust them enough to believe that they've done nothing to make you accept this? Because Sam, even if they haven't harmed you, how do you know they haven't hurt anyone else?" Bobby asked him, and really, that was the question Sam had been least looking forward to.

"I can't promise they're not, because well… they probably are. I just… Bobby? I don't care. No, don't interrupt me, just hear me out yeah? All my life I've been dragged around, not being able to really make any friends, not getting to celebrate holidays and well, having to learn about things that go bump in the night instead of being reassured that they don't! I had to give up all the things most kids take for granted because other people needed saved! Well, know what? I don't care anymore. Bobby, I'm happy, okay? I'm actually happy! And for once, I want to stay happy, even if that means sacrificing someone else. Some complete stranger that I otherwise would never meet and, let's be honest, deserves what they get! They're a crossroads demon and a Trickster, Bobby! It's not like their victims don't ask for whatever they're given! So… yeah, I accept them and I don't care what they do when I'm not around." Sam slumped in his chair as he finished his minor rant and all fight left him. He realised that at this point, whatever Bobby was thinking, nothing Sam said would really change the man's mind. And he was fine with that. He'd made his decision when he chose to stay with them even after finding out what they were.

Sam looked up when Bobby sighed loudly, looking at Sam with a slightly sad look in his eyes. "Sam… I can understand where you're coming from and fine, I'm not saying I'm happy, but as long as you are, then I'll accept it. And I won't tell your dad or your brother. But promise me that you'll tell me should you ever need anything, or feel you have to get away, okay? Promise me, Sam."

"I… okay, I promise to call you should I ever need you, but I don't think I'm gonna need to. So how about I just promise to stay in touch with you regularly so that you know I'm still alive?" Sam suggested with a small smile. Bobby just narrowed his eyes at him and then nodded as he sighed.

"Fine, I suppose that's the best I can ask for. But if you don't answer your phone should I call you and you don't answer, then I'm coming down to find out why the hell not. And should he be nearby, then I'll be bringing your dad and brother too," Bobby warned him. Completely unreasonably in Sam's opinion too. Because threatening him with telling his dad about Crowley and Gabriel was just below the belt.

"How about if I can't get to my phone, like if I'm in an exam? Can I not just make sure I ring you back by the end of the same day?" Sam asked, nibbling at his lip nervously, because Bobby wasn't one to bluff so he totally meant every word he was saying.

"Fine. You have until six pm your time to get back to me, or Sam, I will find a way to get down to you. That I promise," Bobby warned him. Sam sighed and nodded his head, knowing that that was really the best he would be able to get. "Good, now I guess we'd better get back out there before they start thinkin' I've killed you. A demon, a trickster and a hellhound ain't something I wanna piss off inadvertently."

Sam gave a soft, relieved chuckle even as he stood up and followed Bobby out of the office, laughing loudly when Crowley and Gabriel tried to look like they hadn't been worried, whereas Pavlov just bowled himself into Sam's legs. Really, how Bobby could ever think he was in danger with them, Sam had no idea.


	14. Year 3, Part 4

**Warning for this chapter, theres some somewhat detailed torture. **

Part Four

Sam thought that he knew, maybe not everything, or even the tip of the iceberg, but at least the most important things about Gabriel and Crowley after living with them for almost a year, and having been seeing them for three years, but apparently there had been one thing that Sam hadn't really known. Sure he'd suspected it, there had been little signs here and there — like Crowley growling whenever they happened to go out and someone (anyone) looked in Sam's general direction — but he'd not really thought it was too bad.

And then Jess had invited him to go out with them before they would have to basically have to become hermits as they studied for their finals and then would be going back home — and _not_ going out to dinner with Jess' parents. Or even going out of their way to see them — so Sam had said yes, and invited Janey along as well because he figured he might need the back up. Why that meant invite Janey, he wasn't too sure, but considering he would have to leave the house in the next ten minutes if he wanted to get to where he was meeting Janey on time.

Which was where he was now realising just how ridiculous his lovers were when it came to their overly possessive natures and he could honestly blame them if he was late. And Pavlov wasn't helping either. Though they had at least broken the puppy of its separation anxiety issues.

"Would you stop muttering and growling and tell me where you've hidden my wallet?" Sam asked in exasperation as he started to look in all the cupboards in the kitchen, growling and muttering under his own breath when he turned and almost tripped over Pavlov. He didn't even feel the slightest bit of guilt when the stupid mutt yelped because Sam had stepped on one of his paws.

Well, maybe a little guilt.

"I don't think it's a good idea that you go! For once, I'm in complete agreement with Crowley," Gabriel told him, sitting indian style on the kitchen side, whilst Crowley stood in the doorway, neither one looking as though they were about to help him at all. Sam wondered if throttling either one would make any difference at all.

"Why the hell not?! You were fine with the idea when I brought it up last week! In fact you," Sam pointed at Gabriel, who widened his eyes and looked a little startled, "told me that it was about time I went out with my friends at college again! You were all up for me and Jess catching up because we hadn't had much chance this year! And when you found out Janey was going, that was even better! So what's changed?!"

"You didn't tell us that that bloody moron was going!" Crowley exploded. Sam had wondered when he was going to join the argument again. He'd been far too quiet up to that point.

"So, because I didn't tell you that Brady might be going, you were happy for me to go, but now that you know, you're all against it? Why? It's not like he's gonna beat me up for being gay in public! And anyway, he's been a little odd and actually seems hurt that I chose not to room with him again this year! So clearly he's over the fact I like men!" Sam exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air when his argument didn't seem to be swaying either man at all.

"And the last time you went out to a place he was, you were drugged!" Gabriel pointed out, actually seeming to live up to his archangel claim by looking like he wanted to smite Brady just for the memory of how they found Sam.

"And then I came home and you screwed me! Why are you complaining?!" Sam asked, knowing that that probably wasn't going to help matters but he really was reaching his wits end and he was now down to five minutes before he had to leave.

"Oh great! That's your argument! That's settled it! You're not going! No way, no how!" Crowley growled, moving towards Sam and backing him into the counter. Sam just glared down at him, in no mood to bow to Crowley's will. He really, really wanted to just enjoy what was possibly one of his last nights of freedom before he had to chain himself to his books.

"If you don't let me out, I'm reading the Bible! In Latin! Out loud!" Sam screamed in Crowley's face, both men ignoring the surprised snort Gabriel gave. Crowley on the other hand was less than amused and just shoved Sam and growled loudly.

"Listen, Moose! I promised that I'd keep you safe and protect you! This is me protecting you, you bloody ignorant fool! You go out there tonight and that little dipshit will try to drug you again for whatever purpose and how are we gonna know?!" Crowley hissed, prodding Sam's chest with his finger at each word. Sam just slapped the finger away and then shoved at Crowley, moving from the counter and heading towards the door.

"You're a demon and a freaking archangel, I'm sure if you put your minds together, then you can work out a way! I'm going out! And next time you hide my wallet in your jacket, don't corner me!" Sam snarled, waving the wallet he'd lifted from Crowley's pocket as he grabbed his coat and left the kitchen; Crowley and Gabriel silently gaping at his back as he did.

* * *

Sam chuckled as Janey collapsed into the seat next to him where he had been chatting to Jess, who was also getting increasingly more drunk like Janey. Sam however had decided to stay sober for that night, happy enough to just spend time with his friends. Plus he wasn't too sure he trusted Brady either. Sure, no one had proof that he had been the one to drug Sam, but Sam knew Brady had been the only one to buy Sam drinks.

"Sam! How come your lovely men aren't here! I know you're still keeping them away from me so I don't get to meet them! The lovely Jess here has told me all about them!" Janey slurred into Sam's shoulder, Jess giggling next to him and nodding her head quickly in agreement. Something that told Sam she really wouldn't have any idea as to why he was glaring at her if she could focus long enough that is.

"Well, isn't Jess great? Besides, you might meet them in a little bit, since I'll probably have to ring one of them to come collect me and give you two a lift back to halls," Sam told her, grinning when Janey patted his cheek and pressed a sloppy kiss to the underside of his chin, which was as far as she could reach.

"You're so pretty! We goin' home then?" Janey asked him. Sam just rolled his eyes before he nodded his head. He looked over Jess' head to see if he could see anyone they'd come with and noticed Brady lingering nearby. Getting his attention, Sam waved him over, trying to extract himself from both women so that he could stand up.

Finally somehow managing to convince Jess to let go of his arm, and ignoring Janey's unimpressed whine, Sam stood up and scooted around the table to talk to Brady, who was smirking at him for some reason, which Sam really didn't want to find out.

"You're lookin' cozy there! You sure this whole gay thing isn't a lie so that women feel more comfortable with you and drape all over you, you dog?" Brady asked, smirk just growing wider as he playfully punched Sam on his shoulder. Sam just rolled his eyes and settled with a glare at Brady.

"I'm definitely gay, but thanks for thinking I'm low enough to do something like that. Anyway, I called you over just to let you know that I was gonna get these two home before they get even more drunk. Can you maybe help me get them outside?" Sam asked, not too sure he wanted Brady's help but he couldn't actually see anyone else they had come with, so he didn't really have a choice.

"You leaving now? It's only… what time is it?" Brady asked, looking blearily at his watch and trying to work out the time. Sam just rolled his eyes again, absently wondering if he would get eye strain one day from the amount of times he did roll them, and looked at his phone.

"It's twenty past one. So yeah, I'm leaving and I just need a bit of help getting Jess and Janey outside so we can wait for our lift," Sam told him, grimacing as Brady blinked at him and nodded, grinning as he threw an arm over Sam's shoulder. Sam just sighed and left it there, instead choosing to quickly send a text to Crowley, figuring one of them would show up and Crowley had been the last one he'd texted and therefore easier to find in his phone.

"Right, yeah! Sure, sure! Who's pickin' you up? Your boyfriend?" Brady asked, looking for all the world like it had physically pained him to ask that without a sneer. Sam didn't know whether to laugh at the sour lemon face he'd pulled or cheer him for managing to say it without anything homophobic thrown on the end.

"Yeah, sure, my boyfriend," Sam agreed, even if he'd mentally agreed with himself that neither of his lovers really came under the description of boyfriend. Neither were boys for one. Or human. He didn't want to get into a discussion with Brady over that though, he just knew it would be the start of a bitch of a headache were he to try.

"Cool, cool. So they pickin' you up outside of here?" Brady asked him, grinning as he helped Jess stand, Sam having automatically decided that Brady would help with Jess seeing as Janey couldn't stand Brady and was fully in agreement with Crowley and Gabriel that he had been the one to drug Sam. At Brady's question, Sam checked his phone and gave a nod.

"Yeah, said he'd meet us just down from the taxi pick up point. If you could just help me get them to there, that'd be great. There's a bench near there, I think, so if Ley isn't there when we get there, then we can sit them down on there and wait. We should be fine then, so you won't have to wait with us if you don't want to," Sam said, almost to himself given he hadn't raised his voice and the music was so loud, he didn't have any idea why he called Crowley 'Ley' though. Possibly because Crowley was something of a strange name and definitely sounded more like a surname and really, Sam did not want Brady to go on and on claiming that Sam was clearly the fuckbuddy of Crowley given he didn't know the man's real name. Still, Brady nodded his head and followed Sam's lead as they began to lead the two drunken girls out of the club.

"Nah, man, I think I'm gonna wait with you. I wanna meet the guy you're gay for!" Brady claimed once they had gotten outside and Sam was now experiencing the unpleasant feeling of hearing everything under water because the music had been so loud. Upon hearing Brady's decision, Sam cringed, not too sure he wanted Crowley and Brady to meet. Ever.

"Oh um… great," Sam said, not sounding at all convinced that it was in fact great. As luck would have it, Janey seemed to take that moment to become a little more cognisant and show that she'd been silently listening in on the conversation.

"We meetin' your lover?" Janey asked, still somewhat slurred and leaning heavily on Sam as she blinked up at him with a wide smile on her face. Sam just gave a small smile even as he nodded and tried to convince her to walk a little quicker to the meeting spot.

"Sure we are. You'll love him, I'm sure. Just a little bit further to go and then you can sit down. Okay?" Sam asked, making sure that he had a good hold around Janey's waist when she stumbled a little and giggled to herself.

Sam gave a small sigh of relief when they finally managed to get two very uncooperative drunken females to the bench that Sam had decided they would wait at, and having not seen Crowley's car anywhere, let them both slump down onto the seat. He then turned to Brady and gave him an awkward and uncomfortable smile. He just wasn't too sure how to act around the man anymore and wasn't too sure he really cared enough to try.

"So this… lover of yours. What's he like?" Brady asked him, moving to lean agains the back of the bench behind Jess, who had now slumped to the side and was dozing on Janey's shoulder. Janey on the other hand was watching Sam and Brady with a drunken awareness that only a sober person can achieve, which made Sam feel a little foolish for not noticing. And for dragging her sober ass from the club to the bench. He was so giving her the wrong answers in their first final.

Sam narrowed his eyes at Janey before turning back to Brady to answer his question, shrugging first as he tried to think of what to tell him. "He's… older. And British. Very British," Sam told him, mentally hoping that it _was_ Crowley that would be coming to get them. Loki's English accent even made Sam wince.

"Huh, didn't take you as the type to be attracted to an older man." Sam didn't think pointing out that Brady hadn't even considered Sam to be one attracted to any man, older or otherwise, would be all that productive in the grand scheme of things and thankfully didn't have to answer anyway as he noticed a car pull up out of the corner of his eye.

Grinning widely, Sam spun to face the car, grin somehow growing even wider when he saw it was Crowley's car, though his grin dimmed a little when both Crowley and Gabriel got out of the car. And froze and glanced at one another over the hood of the car before making their way over to Sam and company.

"Uh oh. This is going to be fun," Janey muttered under her breath when the two men got close enough to notice the thunderous looks on both their faces. Sam winced and couldn't help but agree with Janey's sarcasm.

"Sam! Let's help you get Jess and Janey into the car!" Gabriel said with a bright - and forced - smile. Sam just narrowed his eyes at him but moved to help Jess stand, not surprised in the least when Janey managed to stand unassisted.

"What's up with you two?" Sam muttered to Gabriel as the man moved to Jess' other side, grinning brightly at Janey, who just grinned back and followed the two to the car. Gabriel shook his head to Sam's question and quietly helped Sam get Jess into the car, before looking over his shoulder and narrowing his eyes at where Crowley and Brady were still standing. Sam closed the door behind Jess and followed Gabriel's gaze, wondering just what Crowley and Brady were talking about.

"Come on, let's go _thank_ Brady for staying with you and get Crowley. You two going to be alright in the car for a minute or two?" Gabriel asked them, getting a nod from Janey whilst Jess just blinked at him before slumping to lean against Janey.

"What's going on, Gabriel?" Sam muttered as they walked away from the car and made their way back to Crowley and Brady, the latter of which was starting to look nervous.

"Brady's not… who you perhaps thought he might be," Gabriel murmured back, getting a startled look from Sam.

"Seriously? Who _is_ human that I know? This is getting quite ridiculous. So what or who is Brady?" Sam asked, sounding and feeling more exasperated than scared by this point. Mostly because Brady hadn't actually done anything to harm him thus far, so he figured Crowley and Gabriel were indeed keeping him safe. Or Brady was a shitty bad guy. Not that he'd admit it to Crowley or Gabriel, but Sam was leaning more towards that being the reason.

"He's being possessed by a demon with links to another demon. We're going to deal with Brady and then maybe we should have a talk when we get back after dropping Jess and Janey off. First though, let's stop Crowley from scarring Janey for life, doubt Jess would notice a nuclear holocaust by this point," Gabriel added, throwing a wry look over his shoulder in the direction of the car with the near-paralytic girl inside. Sam just chuckled weakly and shook his head, moving forwards once more to stand next to Crowley, frowning at Brady in confusion.

"You're a demon?" Sam asked, dragging Brady's attention from Crowley and whatever he had just said before Gabriel and Sam had gotten there. Brady just sneered at him and crossed his arms over his chest, seemingly growing a spine since Sam's arrival.

"Never would have guessed that little Sam Winchester, son of John Winchester - hunter extraordinaire - would shack up with a demon and… what's he?" Brady asked, nodding to Gabriel who just snorted and shook his head at Brady's false bravado.

"I'm Loki. Little above you in the pecking order, demonling. So shut it. Crowley, we should deal with him so we can get Sam's friends back to halls before they start to get antsy," Gabriel said, making sure not to take his eyes off of Brady. Sam just looked from Brady and back to Gabriel and Crowley, completely at a loss as to what was actually happening between them all.

"Fine, fine. Get rid of him so we can make a move," Crowley muttered, Gabriel grinned and practically bounced on the balls of his feet as he gave a quick glance over his shoulder in the direction of the car before turning back to Brady. With a malicious grin and a quick wink, Gabriel clicked his fingers and Brady gave a startled yell before disappearing from where he had been standing.

Sam just gaped at the now empty spot before turning to Gabriel and Crowley, both of whom were watching him warily, obviously worried about his reaction to what had just happened.

"Sam?"

"No, seriously, who the hell actually _is_ human around here?!" Sam exclaimed, throwing his arms up in exasperation before huffing and crossing them over his chest, pouting a little when Gabriel grinned cheekily at him.

"It's California, that question is shockingly harder to answer than you'd think. Come on, let's go back to the car and get Jess and Janey to halls. We can have a chat in the morning once you've had time to sleep on the events of tonight, alright?" Gabriel asked. Sam just gave a tiny sigh and nodded his head before leading the way back to the car, wondering just why Crowley had been pretty much silent since sending Brady away.

* * *

Crowley glanced at Sam, who had passed out with exhaustion and then glanced over at Gabriel, who just gave a silent nod and placed a hand over Sam's forehead. Crowley quickly but carefully got out of bed, even though Sam shouldn't wake up now before either he or Gabriel allowed it. He glanced over and saw Pavlov - and still he mentally rolled his eyes at the name Sam had given the dumb mutt every time he said it - sitting patiently by the door, having learnt his lesson not to go into the room when his owners were making loud noises very early on into his time with them.

"Oi, Mutt. Here. Stay with the Moose. Guard him. Don't let anyone near him until either me or Gabriel get back. Got me?" Crowley asked, not feeling stupid at all for talking to a dog. It was a hellhound, Crowley was well aware of how much they understood. As though to prove that, Pavlov gave a small growl of agreement and jumped on the bed, lying right up next to Sam's body. Gabriel, who had finished relaxing Sam and had snapped some clothes on, snorted from where he was standing by the bed and rolled his eyes when Pavlov gave him a doggy sneer before licking Sam's hand and whining a little when Sam didn't react. "He's sleepin', Mutt. Don't try to wake him, just guard him. We'll be back later."

With that last message to Pavlov, who just huffed loudly but didn't bug Sam anymore other than moving to rest his head on the blanket over Sam's thigh, Crowley glanced at Gabriel and then left the room with only the sound of shuffling to announce his leaving.

Crowley reappeared in a desolate, unused factory and smirked when he saw Brady sitting in the middle of the large room, tied to a chair. Not saying a word, Crowley just slowly started to prowl towards his soon to be victim, smirk firmly on his face. He'd promised not to physically touch Brady or start with the questioning before Gabriel got there, but that didn't mean he could have a little fun watching the little shit piss himself as he realised just how much trouble he was in. Glancing to the side at the tables with some select items on that Crowley usually used when getting information from certain individuals, Crowley smirked and grabbed the bucket of blessed salt water.

Ensuring that he was standing well out of the splash range, Crowley gave a positively evil grin and threw the water over Brady, chuckling when the demon woke and began to scream and struggle against his bonds, trying to get away from the liquid burning him. Crowley knew when the demon had noticed Crowley standing there by the screams abruptly stopping and the struggles slowly becoming just the occasional twitch. Brady was warily watching Crowley, black eyes half shut as the demon visibly tried to ignore the pain he was in.

"Well well, you picked the wrong baby-hunter to prey on, didn't you? Really does suck. Maybe you should have asked for a raise. Of course, I'm dyin' to know just who you'd be askin' for a raise from and what it is they're getting you to do, but well, we should really wait for Sam's other other half. Suppose you could say he's mine as well, but that's not something I really want to own up to, ya know? A demon's gotta keep his reputation in tact and shackin' up with a bloody trickster would be a way to tarnish it right quick!" Crowley said, carefully circling the bound demon, making sure not to step into the water. Really ruined the whole 'fear me' routine when the torturer's feet hissed and steamed because he'd foolishly stepped into holy water.

"Honey! I'm home!" Crowley rolled his eyes at Gabriel's holler and spun neatly on his heels to face the menace as he walked further into the factory, the grin on his face quickly turning into a pout when he saw the burns on Brady. "I told you to wait!"

"I did! I just had to wake him up! I ain't done anything else! We were good and waited patiently for you," Crowley assured him, walking the rest of the way around Brady so that he stood in front of Gabriel and grinned when Gabriel just huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "The mutt still doing his job when you left?"

"He's got a name, you know. Sam will cut your balls off with a salty knife if you don't stop calling him 'mutt'. Just warning you," Gabriel pointed out, making both Crowley _and_ Brady wince just at the thought. Crowley decided not to respond to that though and just turned his full attention back to Brady.

"Well, we should really get a move on, don't want to leave Sam for too long. Can't be that healthy to be forced to sleep longer than necessary," Crowley pointed out, moving around Brady and passed Gabriel to get to the table. He lightly trailed his fingers over the many items there, ignoring the sting of the ones that had been soaked in holy water or were rubbed in salt, as he tried to think what they should do first. Gabriel soon proved that he was on the same wavelength as him with his next question, something that sent a wave of cold fear down Crowley's spine. No one needed to be on the same wavelength as Gabriel.

"So, what we starting on? Should we be keeping the meatsuit intact? Oi, Demon-Brady, is the actual Brady even alive inside there?" Gabriel asked Brady, nudging him with his foot when Brady took too long to answer.

"Depends. What you gonna do to me if he is?" Brady asked, looking up at Gabriel with a barely concealed sneer, which just told Crowley that the demon was a moron who didn't know when he should be truly scared for his life. Never a wise idea to piss off an archangel _or_ a Trickster and especially not the one being who could truthfully own up to being both.

"Oh now, that would ruin the suspense and the surprise of the whole evening! Don't want to be doing that now, do we? So? Gonna share or should we just start on the main event for the night?" Gabriel asked in his disturbingly cheerful tone of his that would put anyone at ease were they not tied to a chair and currently covered in second degree burns. Or Crowley.

"I say we don't give him a say in the matter. Here, cut him with this for me. I think it needs more salt. Can't remember when I last forced someone to rub it with some," Crowley said, handing a large dagger with a lethal looking serrated blade to Gabriel, who gave a maniacal giggle when he took it and _skipped_ over to Brady.

"Why don't you just let me go and I promise not to even look at Sam Winchester ever again, deal?" Brady suddenly piped up suddenly when he saw the weapon that Gabriel was holding.

"I'm the only one in this room that can make a decent deal and stick with it, mate. You don't have a chance. Besides, we really wanna know just what it was that you wanted from Sam. No demon lingers around a hunter for three years for no reason," Crowley pointed out, ignoring the fact that he had technically done the same thing. Though he was getting regular sex from Sam, so he could legitimately use that were anyone to bring it up.

"The Master of the Realm has spoken, Minion! And now all of your secrets shall be our-oops. You didn't tell me this was really sharp!" Gabriel muttered, barely heard over Brady's loud cursing screams. Crowley had no idea what the idiot had done but given the impressively inventive cursing Brady was shouting, he imagined that the demon was at least missing something.

"It's a weapon. Who keeps blunt weapons?" Crowley asked absently, not turning around or his attention fully away from where he was categorising his weapons and trying to decide which ones they should definitely use and which ones he hadn't used for a while and wanted to use again.

"We're torturing here! Blunt torture implements just make the screams that little but more delicious," Gabriel bitched back, Crowley heard a muffled thump and Brady's cursing abruptly stopped, which made Crowley roll his eyes and finally turn his attention back to the menace. He just shook his head and sighed when he saw Brady - now missing an ear - slumped unconscious in the chair.

"Very Tarantino," Crowley drawled with a sigh, shaking his head as he caught Gabriel's false guilty look. "What did you do to him?"

"He was giving me a headache! Now, whilst he's asleep, let's see what you've got over there. You got anything Kray-inspired?" Gabriel asked as he moved over to the table and looked over the items. Crowley rolled his eyes again and turned back to stand next to Gabriel.

"That. I gave a similar one to Ronnie once when he was lookin' for a more inventive way to get some answers," Crowley muttered, pointing to something that looked like a crochet needle. It actually _was_ a crochet needle, but Ronnie hadn't needed to know that at the time.

"What's it do?" Gabriel asked, picking it up and inspecting it closely as though it would give him all the answers he sought.

"Quite literally pulls the answers you're looking for out of the person. Well, if you use it right. If not, it does make a fetchin' scarf," Crowley admitted with a grin and a shrug, taking the needle out of Gabriel's hand and handing him a large, heavy-duty file.

"You make scarves? Well, you really do learn something new every day. So what's this one do then?"

"Files. It's got crushed diamonds embedded in the iron, so it really makes the demons scream whilst also neatly smooths off any rough edged bones. Or limbs. Or anything else that you feel the need to file down," Crowley added absently, looking at Gabriel with a grin before turning his attention back to the table. "So, we gonna go Cockney old school on him then?"

"Sure, if you want. What else do you have? Anything of the Norse persuasion?" Gabriel asked with a wicked grin on his face, which just grew when Crowley huffed and crossed his arms over his chest.

"No I bloody don't! Uncouth and unimaginative lot, you were! Ooh, look, I've got an 'ammer! See me smash shit with it and hope I don't smash his chest cavity in before I get the right answers. No idea of the delicate art of torture! Just because you have a couple of worshippers and your Viking lot were the most feared people of their time, you think you're the be all and end all of torture and war. Now, we Brits, we can tell you a thing or two about using the nearest things you have at hand! We're resourceful!" Crowley exclaimed, waving his hands around and ignoring the amused expression on Gabriel's face. Bloody vikings and their boats.

"Right, so you don't like Vikings. Got ya. So you're telling me that all of this is British inspired? Because I know for a damn fact _that_ is French," Gabriel said, pointing to a large four spiked tong-like item. Crowley just shrugged, not denying it.

"Most of it is British. Well, most of it is used in Britain," Crowley muttered, scowling when Gabriel just seemingly ignored him and skipped over to a wooden wheel propped against the table.

"This! This is Germanic! Which is sorta Norse,"

"No, it's not! Germany and Norway are nothing alike! Don't be stealing German weapons just because you only have a hammer and an axe!" Crowley exclaimed. There was a small voice in the back of his mind - that sounded a lot like Sam - that was pointing out that he was arguing with Loki about _torture weapons_, but he ignored it and went with glaring at Gabriel.

"Fine, but you need to accept that most of these are not British and that the Brits don't have the monopoly of twisted torture methods," Gabriel stated, placing the pear device that he'd been looking at back on the table. "Do you have a Judas cradle?"

"Yeah, somewhere. I think it's in the corner near the Iron Maiden, why?"

"Never used one, just thought it might be nice to try something new," Gabriel told him with a small shrug, looking around the room before he obviously spotted where the Iron Maiden, and therefore the Judas Cradle was.

"Well, we can set it up, if you want. Oh! The Brits are the ones that used paint strippers to get answers by melting away the flesh of peoples ankles!" Crowley announced proudly when he tripped over an old paint stripper and grinned when Gabriel shot him a disturbed look.

"Okay… fine, the Brits are disturbing with their need to use household objects to cause pain. Now, what's this?" Gabriel asked, holding up a heavy iron item that looked like a flat, spiked claw.

"Cat's paw. Rips the skin off the back of whoever you're using it on. Or, you blunt the edges and add a bit of spice in the bedroom. I've got one at the house," Crowley told him with a shrug, moving past Gabriel so that he could see just how much setting up the Judas Cradle would need. He wrinkled his nose when he realised that it would need quite a bit. Still, Crowley considered as he glanced at a distracted Gabriel, it did help when his accomplice could do most things with a click of his fingers. "Right, needs settin' up, which you can do in your own special way, then we can either leave it til last or strap him in it now. Up to you."

"Hmm, what do you think? If we leave it til last, then we don't have to worry about getting him back down again and tying him up, but if we don't use it now, then he might break before we get the chance," Gabriel murmured, almost to himself which took away the whole point of asking Crowley opinion in the first place if he couldn't hear it. Still, Crowley did see Gabriel's point.

"Well, nothing says we can't still put him in it anyway even if he has squealed," Crowley pointed out, getting a vicious grin from Gabriel for his efforts.

"Good point! Well, in that case I say we use that last then," Gabriel announced, clicking his fingers and grinning when the Judas Cradle was set up instantly. Crowley just rolled his eyes and walked back to the table.

"You sure you're Gabriel?" Crowley muttered, trailing his fingers over the weapons and devices as he tried to work out what they should use first.

"Yep. So, we going to start small and work our way up? Or start with recent torture methods and work our way back?" Gabriel asked, moving to stand next to Crowley and grinning widely.

"Small and work our way up, I say," Crowley said with a decisive nod. Gabriel just looked at him and then snorted.

"You just want to use the paint stripper."

* * *

Three hours later and Brady still hadn't really spilled anything important, and Crowley was really beginning to think the demon deserved the raise he wouldn't be getting. Still, they did know that he was definitely working for someone and that the plans were coming to an end. They just didn't know _who_ the main guy was. Though they both had a good idea as to who, given Sam seemed to be in the centre of all the plans.

"Right, I say we can strap him up to the Judas Cradle now," Crowley announced, grinning when Brady shot them a horrified look. Clearly he knew what a Judas Cradle was. Which didn't surprise him given Crowley knew for a fact that they had them down below.

"No, no, no! Wait! Wait! I'll tell you! I'll let you know everything!" Brady shouted when Gabriel had stepped up with a wide grin on his face. Gabriel pouted, but took a small step backwards, looking to Crowley to see what he thought. Crowley had actually been surprised that Gabriel had been willing to take his lead on all of this, he'd thought Gabriel would be much more interested in leading and not listening to anything Crowley suggested.

"Should we listen?"

"No harm in it, I suppose," Crowley admitted with a shrug. He walked over so that he was standing in front of Brady, who was now missing a few fingers and looking somewhat worse for wear, looking blearily up at Crowley and breathing heavily. And completely pointlessly, proving to Crowley that he was a new demon as he clearly hadn't worked out that they don't _need_ to breath.

"Fine. So, you finally gonna tell us who you're working for?" Gabriel asked, not even bothering to hide his disappointment at having to wait a bit longer before being able to use the one thing he'd wanted to use. Brady visibly slumped in relief on the chair and glanced up at Gabriel.

"Azazel. He wants to remind Sam that he can't escape what he is and that he belongs to him," Brady admitted with a tired voice. Crowley just sneered whilst Gabriel stiffened in anger.

"Well, that's wrong. For one, Sam hasn't forgotten he's a hunter, he's just taking a… sabbatical. And most importantly? Azazel does not own Sam. Sam's ours. Has been since Crowley first claimed him and then allowed me to join in on the Samsquatch action!" Gabriel sneered, kicking some spilt salt in Brady's direction and grinning when it landed in the exposed bone of his ankle and made Brady give a muffled whine of pain.

"Loki's right, Sam belongs to us now," Crowley added, deciding that he should back up Gabriel's claim, just in case Brady thought he could say something about it.

"Not. Yours. He's got-got-" Brady gasped in pain, gritting his teeth from screaming out when Gabriel apparently got bored or too angry and began to flick little splashes of holy water on Brady.

"Loki, let him speak. I wanna hear why he thinks we don't have a claim on Sam."

"Fine, speak up, demonling. Then we can get back to having some fun," Gabriel announced, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet as his eyes drifted over to the Judas Cradle.

"Blood! He was fed Azazel's blood!" Brady gasped out, slumping in the seat when Gabriel and Crowley froze and exchanged glances.

"Right, gotta sort that one out then. Well, I think that's all we need to know. Guess we can put him in the cradle now, Loki," Crowley said, not letting any of his feelings on what they'd just learnt be heard in his voice and smirking when Gabriel cheered and Brady whimpered.

"You promised!"

"I did no such thing! I said we'd listen, didn't say anything about not putting you in it once you'd shared what we wanted to know!" Crowley pointed out, grinning when Gabriel just got bored and clicked his fingers, strapping Brady into the cradle without actually having to put any effort into it. They both grinned when Brady finally couldn't stop himself from screaming as he was lowered onto the wide spike.

* * *

Crowley and Gabriel arrived back at their home a few hours later, freshly cleaned of any blood and having sent what was left of Brady down to Hel to play with for as long as she wanted until she got bored. Gabriel mentioning that the demon had been playing Sam and had planned to hurt Sam had made a disturbing gleam enter the Norse goddess' eyes.

Entering the master bedroom, Crowley smirked upon seeing Sam still fast asleep - not that he expected whatever Gabriel had done to fail - and Pavlov practically lying on top of Sam. The hellhounds tail thumped lazily against the bed as soon as he noticed Crowley had returned and yawned widely.

"Good mutt. You can sleep now, if you want," Crowley muttered quietly, glancing at Sam before looking back to Pavlov, who just yawned again and then moved into a more comfortable position and soon feel asleep pressed against Sam, large head resting over Sam's chest. Crowley just rolled his eyes, the dumb mutt really would have failed miserably as a proper working hellhound.

"He alright?" Gabriel whispered, stepping into the room and glancing at Sam, visibly breathing a sigh of relief when he saw Sam hadn't really moved all that much since they'd left him. Gabriel moved onto the bed and ran his hand over Sam's face before looking up at Crowley. "He's sleeping naturally now. Does he have a Final tomorrow, do you know?"

"Nah, he's got a couple of weeks before they start. I think he went out tonight because he's gonna be basically shut away revisin' and shit for the next couple of weeks. Think he'll be alright after finding out what Brady was?"

"No idea. Hard to tell with Sam sometimes. I do think we need to figure out what to do about what Brady told us though. I don't see a reason why he'd lie about Azazel feeding Sam his blood, and it makes sense with what little I've heard about future plans. Can you think of anything we can do?" Gabriel asked, running his fingers through Sam's hair absently whilst looking at Crowley. Crowley just sighed and sat down on the other side of Sam, huffing when that put Pavlov between the two.

"Haven't a clue. But I do think we need to talk to Sam about going back to hunting. And probably take him away to Bobby's once he's finished with college. Get him out of here for a while. Could probably get the older hunters opinion on things," Crowley muttered, thinking about the things that they would need to do and just what plans might need to be stepped up.

"Good idea. Think we should tell Sam about the blood thing?"

"Maybe ask Bobby about it first. We should probably tell Sam about the rest though, just so we can give a reason for why we're heading to Bobby's and convincing Sam to get back into hunting," Gabriel pointed out, making Crowley grimace as he acknowledged the truth in that.

"Fine. He's not gonna be happy about this, is he?"

"Probably not."


	15. Year 4, Part 1

Year Four

Part One

Sam was exhausted after finishing his last Final of the year and yawned widely as he pushed the door open and walked into the house he shared with Crowley and Gabriel, grinning when he heard the muffled angry yell of Crowley and both Gabriel and Pavlov skidded into the hallway from the staircase. Pavlov's ears were flat back on his head and Gabriel had a wide grin on his face, though both came to a stop as soon as they saw Sam watching them.

"What have you done to him now? You know he's been crabby recently, why make him worse?" Sam asked, grinning even as he tried to stifle another yawn and let the door shut behind him. He dropped his heavy bag on the floor and happily greeted Pavlov with a pat to the head, grinning when Pavlov's whole body began to sway as he wagged his tail.

"Crowley was right when he said that one would be a crap hellhound," Gabriel said, chuckling when Pavlov gave an excited growl and nipped at Sam's fingers. Sam just shrugged, tapping Pavlov on the snout when his nips became bites and then straightened up and looked at Gabriel.

"So what did you do to him?" Sam asked, moving forward and following Gabriel into the living room. He gave a happy groan when he collapsed onto the couch and grinned when Pavlov jumped up and beat Gabriel to the spot next to sam.

"I hate the dog sometimes, you know that?" Gabriel muttered, glaring at Pavlov, who - now that he was used to Gabriel and knew that the archangel wouldn't harm him - just ignored him and snuggled closer to Sam. No matter that Crowley and Gabriel were actually probably with Pavlov more than Sam was, the dog still favoured him over everyone else. Possibly because Sam spoilt him rotten.

"Uh huh, sure you do. Don't think I don't know about the candy you give him when no one's looking. Pull the other one," Sam said with a wide grin, gently rubbing the soft downy fur on Pavlov's ears.

"It's got bells on it."

"Huh?" Sam asked, looking at Gabriel in confusion, in part because he hadn't really been paying too much attention to the man.

"The saying, it's 'pull the other one, it's got bells on it'."

"Yeah, not with you around. I say that and I'm likely to get bells attached to my leg. Better to stay on the safe side with you around. Now stop changing the subject, what did you do to annoy Crowley?" Sam asked him, grinning and snickering when Gabriel just huffed and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Nothing! Why am I always the one to get the blame?" Gabriel asked with a whine, pouting as he flopped down into the one chair that no one really used except Sam when he wanted to read and not be bothered by Gabriel and/or Pavlov.

"Because it normally is you that's to blame?" Sam pointed out in more of a question than an actual statement. Either way all he got for his efforts was a glare which quickly became a pout.

"Well it wasn't my fault! How was I to know that Pavlov liked to eat shoes? Really, if anything, this is all your fault," Gabriel pointed out, which just made Sam gape at him.

"How is this my fault? I wasn't even here!" Sam exclaimed, loud enough that Pavlov startled a little and looked up at him in confusion. Sam just went back to rubbing his ears, smiling when the puppy settled down a little more and went back to dozing against Sam.

"You haven't trained it or something. I don't know! I haven't worked it out yet, but I've definitely decided that you're to blame!" Gabriel said with a firm nod that just told Sam there was no point in arguing with him. Sam hadn't met anyone quite as stubborn as Gabriel.

"Sam didn't leave my shoes out because he was looking for something in the wardrobe. Don't pass the blame over to him just because you don't think you were in the wrong, Trickster," Crowley stated from behind Sam where he'd apparently entered the room in the middle of their conversation. Sam awkwardly turned on the couch to look over it to Crowley, smiling and giving a small wave in greeting before shifting back round when Pavlov grumbled grumpily next to him.

"Oh sure, gang up on me!" Gabriel muttered, pouting where he was sitting and glaring daggers at Crowley when the man walked further into the room and to his usual chair, running his fingers through Sam's hair as he passed.

"How'd your last exam go, Moose?" Crowley asked as he sat down and looked Sam over, clearly making sure that Sam didn't look like he was about to drop. Sam just smiled at him and gave a small shrug.

"Okay, I think. Could have gone worse and I don't think I could have done much better. I'm just glad it's all over until August now. I'm ready for a break," Sam told him, nose wrinkling as he thought about the LSATs he'd be taking in a few short months and that he should really start studying for them already.

"Well, about that, me and the Trickster thought that we could go stay with your uncle for a couple of weeks at the beginning of summer this time, then work out something to do when we leave. That way we don't have a deadline for when we need to leave and we can stay as long as you want or until Singer kicks us out. Sound good?" Crowley asked him. Sam just nodded his head vigorously, grin wide and bright.

"Definitely okay with me! So should I call Bobby and ask him if it's alright?" Sam asked, shifting a little as he wanted to call Bobby as soon as he could once Crowley told him what he'd need to know.

"No need for that, Gabriel went to visit the guy instead when we decided what to do for the summer. Singer said it was fine for us to come whenever we wanted. I though we could let you spend the rest of today to recover from your exams and catch up on all the sleep you didn't get whilst revisin' and then head off tomorrow at a reasonable time. Figured we didn't have to go through the bollocks of pretendin' we drove all the way there either considerin' Bobby knows what me and the moron are," Crowley pointed out, ignoring the small indignant noise Gabriel made at being referred to as a moron. Really, Sam wondered why he bothered given he was fairly certain Crowley never used their real names if he could avoid it. He hadn't worked out why, but he was going to, he was sure.

"That's awesome! Though slightly disturbing that you talk to Bobby even when I'm not there. It already disturbs me that he's so accepting of everything and just how well you two get on with him, finding out you go visit him might give me nightmares. I'm not joking about that, either," Sam added with a slightly exaggerated shudder. Crowley just snorted and rolled his eyes though Gabriel grinned, silently telling Sam that he had every need to worry.

"Oh, come on, it's not like we spend all our free time when we're not with you, chatting it up with Bobby. Don't you worry your floppy haired head about it. Besides, we only went to see him so that we could sort things out without having to pester you about it," Gabriel pointed out when he clearly noticed that Sam looked about to have a nervous breakdown.

"Do you think I should tell Dean that we're going? He did ask me to," Sam pointed out quietly, looking down at his hands and picking at the skin around one of his nails with his other hand. He looked up when Crowley sighed loudly, obviously to get Sam's attention.

"It's up to you, what do you think he's gonna do if he does find out that you're at Bobby's? Think he might come from wherever he's hunting to visit you? And if that's the case, what would you do about me and Gabriel?" Crowley asked him calmly, not actually telling him what to do and not telling him what the right decision was. Sam just took his words as they were meant and as something to take into consideration before calling Dean and telling him that he would be going to Bobby's.

"You have a point. And I suppose Dean didn't ask me to tell him if I was going, thinking about it, it was more along the lines of him asking me if I already knew I'd be going. So I guess I don't really have to tell him, but maybe I should anyway just so that he knows," Sam mused, almost to himself as he muttered and tried to decide what to do. Giving a loud sigh and a shrug of his shoulders, he looked up to see both Crowley and Gabriel staring at him like he'd lost his mind.

"So does that mean you are going to tell him or you aren't? Because I'll be honest, I have no idea at this point," Gabriel told him, frowning as he looked like he was still trying to work out which was Sam was leaning towards.

"Oh, well I think I'll leave it. Maybe. I suppose I can always call him to tell him whilst we're still there if I change my mind, right? So it doesn't really matter either way. What's for dinner? I'm starving," Sam suddenly asked when his stomach gave a near silent grumble and reminded Sam that he hadn't eaten anything since breakfast. Crowley and Gabriel just blinked at him before Crowley chuckled and Gabriel just gave a loud groan and dropped his head into his hands.

"I've got a headache! Do you know how hard it is to give an archangel a headache? You do have a point though, what should we have for dinner? I can't be bothered to cook anything up, so should we order in? Crowley?" Gabriel asked, looking from Sam to Crowley for an answer.

"I'm fine with ordering in. Just decide what you want and ring up for it," Crowley told them with a negligent wave of his hand as he relaxed back into the chair. Sam just grinned and shook his head at Crowley and settled down to just enjoy a lazy evening before they left for Bobby's the following day.

* * *

Sam was sitting on the sofa in Bobby's front room with Gabriel and Pavlov, when the hunter walked in, looking deep in thought as Crowley walked in behind him. Immediately Sam sat up straight, frowning as he tried to work out just what had happened that might have caused Crowley and Bobby to look so disconcerted.

"Bobby? Everything alright?" Sam asked, not even bothering to hide the worry and concern from his voice. A worry that increased when Bobby took his hat off and began to wring it between his hands, something the man only did when he'd been told something he didn't like.

"I was talkin' to Crowley about an incident that you didn't think you should tell me about. And well, I'll get back to having a quick talk on what constitutes as a 'call Bobby' incident to you, but first, I got a call from your father," Bobby said, looking uncomfortable even as he narrowed his eyes and gave Sam a stern look for having not told Bobby about Brady. Sam felt like he should at least look sheepish or ashamed for not having told him, but he was more concerned at how Bobby had ended that sentence.

"My dad?! What did he want? Does he know I'm here?!" Sam asked him, panic making his voice go a little higher pitched than normal. Gabriel glanced at him and rubbed his back soothingly, though Sam couldn't bring himself to take his eyes off of Bobby.

"Calm down, ya idjit. Your daddy don't know you're here, so don't worry on that front. But he is on his way. Said he'd be here in about two hours. Apparently they're on a hunt and need to run something by me. So, you have to decide if you wanna be here when he gets here or if you want to leave," Bobby told him, making Sam slump down into his seat and and drop his head into his hands.

"Well I can't stay here! Sure, I've spoken to Dean since I left, but I can't stay here! I don't want to talk to my dad! And God knows I don't want dad to meet Crowley and Loki! Shit! And Dean! Dean would kill them just for tarnishing his baby brother! _Before_ he ever even found out what they were! He'd kill them still thinking they were human! Fuck, we have to leave. Are we ready to leave? We need to pack! Do we have time to pack? Should we just buy new stuff?" Sam asked, tugging at his hair a little and ignoring the little huffing barks Pavlov was giving as Sam increasingly got more and more panicked.

"Sam, Sam you need to calm down. Bobby said your dad wouldn't be here for another two hours, so we have time anyway. There's no need to panic, alright?" Gabriel told him, trying his hardest to get through to Sam as he did so. Sam, however, just tugged more at his hair, though he wasn't quite hyperventilating, which was something.

"Well, no, no need to panic, but there is something else I wanted to talk to you about, Sam. It has something to do with what Crowley was just telling me about," Bobby said gruffly, making Sam wince even in the midst of his panic. Actually, if anything, that was what dragged Sam out of his mini panic attack and made him look up at Bobby guiltily.

"About that Bobby… I didn't tell you because, well… I don't know," Sam admitted with a small shrug and a sheepish - and hopefully apologetic - smile at Bobby, who just narrowed his eyes before rolling them and sighing.

"Yeah, yeah. Save it. That's not what I wanted to talk to you about. Crowley told me more than he probably told you, then asked me my opinion on things, so I gave it. And now you're going to listen to what we decided. And you're not going to bitch and moan about it either, I ain't your daddy, I won't take your backchat. Got it?" Bobby asked him, moving to sit down on a chair h dragged over so that he was sitting in front of Sam. Sam, who was gaping at Bobby and probably doing a passable impression of a fish with the opening and shutting of his mouth he couldn't seem to stop.

"Um… sure?" Sam squeaked, before clearing his throat and repeating it in a more normal tone of voice. He didn't think it would be wise to point out that his dad had thrown him out the last time Sam had 'backchatted' him, plus that would probably come under bitching in Bobby's books.

"Good. So, I don't know what these two idjits have told you, but from what they've told me, I worked out a couple of things they might not have realised. First though, what do you know about the thing that killed your mom?" Bobby asked him, shooting him a softer look that told Sam Bobby wasn't deliberately being abrupt and uncaring. Not that he had thought he was in the first place. Bobby just _was_ abrupt and seemingly uncaring. It was the way he was.

"Not much. Just what Dean told me when I asked once… Dad found Mom pinned to the ceiling in my nursery. He took me and gave me to Dean, who took us out of the house. Dad was too late to save Mom, and I dunno, he found out that it was something supernatural that killed her and well, here we are," Sam said with a small shrug, nibbling his lip as he tried to think back on anything he might have missed out from what Dean had told him. Sam had never asked their dad what had happened, he'd never really found the courage, and Dean only really knew what he could remember, or what he'd overheard.

"Right. Well, the thing that got your mom was a demon. Your daddy only told me that it had yellow eyes and burnt down your nursery. Now the reason I ask is because of what Crowley told me. It's all related, Sam. This Brady demon was watching you for a reason. And my bettin' is that it was for this yellow eyed demon," Bobby told him calmly, looking at him with shrewd eyes, whilst Sam fidgeted and tried not to panic once more. He looked away from Bobby to glance first at Gabriel, then to Crowley standing by the side of the couch Sam was sitting on.

"So… what do I do? Crowley and Loki got rid of him, right? So I'm safe now, yeah?" Sam asked, nibbling his lip as he looked back to Bobby, not knowing where the man was going with this, but sure that it wouldn't be anything Sam would be happy with.

"They only got rid of Brady, Sam. You're still on the radar of this other demon and we don't know much about him. Crowley only knows a little bit by his own admission and then told me what he thought the demon might want,"

"What's that?"

"Interruptin' me comes under bitchin'. So shut it and let me tell you what we decided," Bobby grouched. Sam just smiled sheepishly and tried to hide his blush whilst Gabriel snickered next to him. Sam felt slightly vindicated at the small 'oof' Gabriel gave when he elbowed him.

"Okay."

"Right, Sam, I know you're gonna hate this decision, but you need to get back into hunting. You're a damn skilled hunter, just like your brother and your daddy, and I know you went to college to avoid it, but there ain't nothing saying you can't get an education _and_ hunt at the same time. The thing is, if you start going on hunts during your breaks and some weekends, then you ain't staying in one place all the time and it'll be harder to find you. The only reason your daddy didn't want you to go to college was for that reason. Now, I ain't saying he went about dissuading you in the right way, but he had the right intentions," Bobby told him with a gruff gentleness that Sam has only ever known Bobby Singer to successfully achieve.

"But… I mean… But I live with Crowley. And-and Loki! I'm safe! I don't… Bobby, I don't _want_ to be a hunter. I like having a home! I like having friends for longer than a term! I don't… I don't want to lose that," Sam added in a small voice, biting at his lip now and practically chewing it off as he stared down at his hands tabled in Pavlov's fur.

"Sam… Look at me, Sam," Bobby said firmly, and Sam looked up mournfully, fully aware that he wasn't getting out of this. "Sam, I have a home, I'm a hunter. What makes you think you can't have the same? And sure, you live with a demon and a trickster. Loki in fact, but you're not always with someone there. And it's a demon after you, they don't play nice and they ain't fair, it don't matter who you're living with when you aren't always at home."

"So, basically, what you're saying is that I have no choice and I have to get back to hunting? Does… Are you going to tell my dad?" Sam asked in a small voice, glancing at Bobby before shooting a small look to Crowley, who had been silent this whole time and was watching him with a hidden concern.

"You have a choice, but I'd recommend you get back into hunting. Bring up your skills again and get back into the field. Even if you just stick around California, though I don't see why you should given who you have to travel with," Bobby pointed out, making Sam give him a weak smile and Gabriel to preen from next to him. Crowley to looked at them both and then rolled his eyes.

"Fine, so I guess I'm going back to hunting then?" Sam said weakly with a small smile, which grew a little when Gabriel cheered, startling a bark out of Pavlov and a suffering sigh from both Bobby and Crowley.

"I have to live with that," Crowley muttered to Bobby, who just gave him a sympathetic look. Sam watched the two and felt a semi-hysterical laugh bubble up inside of him. Bobby Singer and a crossroads demon were getting along. Really, Sam's life just got more and more surreal.

* * *

Sam, Gabriel and Crowley had left Bobby's after Bobby had given them a veritable arsenal of weapons, not that Sam was entirely sure why given he was fairly certain Crowley or Gabriel would have been able to get them some from somewhere. Or Sam could have whined enough that Gabriel and Crowley would have given up on the whole hunting idea in the first place.

Alas, that didn't happen and no amount of whining was getting Gabriel and Crowley to change their plans. In fact, not even an hour after they'd left Bobby's - in quite a hurry given Bobby's penchant for dithering when it came to picking weapons - they were on the other side of the country, checking into a hotel room because Crowley mentioned that there happened to be a demon here.

When asked _why_ they had decided to go for a demon first - because it wasn't like Sam could do anything on this kind of hunt - Crowley had admitted that the demon was an upstart wannabe demon who wanted in on the crossroads action and kept trying to steal Crowley's hellhounds. To which Gabriel had cackled and pointed out that Hell seemed to be like a playground.

Still, Sam felt he'd had a good point when he'd pointed out that there wasn't anything he could do. And thus was promptly shut up by Crowley telling him that neither he nor Gabriel would be searching out the demon and that was Sam's job.

Which was why Sam had spent his first hunt with Gabriel and Crowley, hunched over his laptop, looking up clues and news about anything odd having happened in the town that might point them towards working out just who the demon was. And mentally cursing Gabriel and Crowley as he did so.

Apparently they had gotten the point though, because three weeks and four more hunts later, they were now hunting a rugaru. And Sam would never, ever complain about a hunt being boring.

Hunts with Gabriel? Completely insane. For one, Gabriel hadn't quite gotten the message that they would be hunting monsters and so the second hunt after the first one, they were hunting a bastard of a human for three days until Gabriel - completely unaware of what was wrong - told them that the man was completely human. Not one ounce of demon or anything else in him and, in fact, had probably never come across anything supernatural in his life.

But he liked little boys. So Sam looked away and Crowley encouraged Gabriel. Safe to say, that was not a hunt Sam would ever be telling his father or Dean about should he ever get to a point in his life where he swapped hunting stories with his family.

"Why are we sitting in a tree?" Sam whispered to Gabriel, mentally wondering why he hadn't listened to Crowley when the man had pointed out Gabriel's less than sane faults.

"Shh, be vewy vewy quiet. We're hunting werewolves," Gabriel whispered back. Sam groaned and let his head thump heavily against the trunk of the tree.

"Gabriel, we're hunting a rugaru, not a werewolf. And either way, nearly all the bodies found have been near the park on the other side of town, so no where near this tree or this forest. So, again, why are we here?"

"We're not hunting a werewolf? But… what the hell is a rugaru then? Rugaru is French for _werewolf_! I thought you were just going through a gallic stage," Gabriel whispered back, which by this point was also pretty pointless because as Sam had pointed out, the damned thing didn't come near this part of town.

"Going through a gallic stage?! Who the hell does that?" Sam asked incredulously, immediately wishing he could take it back when Gabriel actually went to answer.

"Well, there was a brief century when Sleipnir thought he might like to be French. Refused to speak in anything but French. It was actually quite amusing," Gabriel reminisced with a small smile. Sam just stared at him blankly before shaking his head and moving to get out of the, quite frankly uncomfortable tree.

He'd only managed to get a foot down when Gabriel suddenly grabbed the collar of his shirt and showed his impressive strength by yanking sam back up to where Gabriel himself was still sitting. Sputtering and spitting out a leaf or two, Sam just stared incredulously at Gabriel, silently demanding an answer as to why he'd just had his daily recommended dose of fruit and vegetables in the form of tree foliage.

"Shh, I told you it came here. There's something sniffing about at the base of the tree, and for once it's not Crowley," Gabriel whispered to him, clapping his hand over Sam's mouth before he could even think of an answer to that. Instead of trying, Sam just went quiet and tried to listen for what Gabriel had clearly heard. It didn't take long for him to hear the rustling and sniffing coming from directly below them. Definitely not Crowley then. Not even in his weirdest moments.

Like that time he'd had too much tea and refused to sleep or pretend to for three weeks. By the end of it, Sam had shares for a British tea brand to his name, Gabriel had a new sweet shop and Crowley had amassed seventeen souls, five new hellhounds and had somehow made an exact replica of the Taj Mahal out of Skittles.

Sam had been a little impressed at the time. Exhausted, but impressed.

"Whaff-we-foo?" Sam asked through the hand covering his mouth, making sure he was still quiet enough that they wouldn't be overheard by the rugaru below them. Thankfully, Gabriel knew exactly what Sam had asked and just gave a silent shake of his head.

_'He can smell you. He knows we're around here somewhere but isn't sure where. Crowley and Bobby made me promise to let you deal with this unless it looked like you were about to die or something. So I'll follow your lead.'_ Sam winced when he heard Gabriel's voice echo in his head and glared at him even though Gabriel's hand was still covering his mouth.

_'I hate it when you do that! It makes my brain itch! Itch! Brains are not meant to itch, Gabriel!'_ Sam's glare upped a notch when Gabriel just rolled his eyes at Sam's bitching. _'Fine, I get the point. So we just kill it then? How? I mean, we're up here, it's down there. I've never heard of a rugaru suddenly learning how to climb trees.'_

_'Hey, don't ask me. I thought it was a werewolf. So, what? We go down there and stab it?'_ Gabriel asked him. Sam just grit his teeth against the 'itch' and decided to bear with it for the duration of the hunt.

_'Sure, but maybe a little differently. You're immortal, right? So really, it wouldn't matter if say… a rugaru mauled you, right?'_

_'You know, I don't think I like this plan. Can't we think of a different plan? One that doesn't involve me risking life and limb?'_ Even mentally, Gabriel's voice had a semi-hysterical tinge to it. Sam was actually a little impressed at that given he tended to sound either emotionless or annoyed.

_'Only limb! You're immortal! A rugaru can't kill you! So you're only risking limb. Of course… I could just go down and do it myself. But I don't think Bobby or Crowley would be too impressed with that idea.'_ Sam mentally pointed out, grinning when Gabriel winced and finally took his hand from Sam's mouth.

"Fine, I'll be bait. How long do you need?" Gabriel asked him, finally talking out loud and making Sam smile brightly at him.

"Not long. Just need you to get him away from me so that I can get behind him and stab him. In theory, it shouldn't take long. But in theory, you glow and have wings, so theory sucks. Off you go, little angel. Chop chop!" Sam said with a large smile, which only grew when Gabriel glared at him and began to mutter under his breath about smiting and how it should be brought back for upstart little oiks.

Sam had no idea what an oik was, but he figured he probably fell under the category of one, and in all honesty, he didn't care because Gabriel quickly popped out of existence in front of him and soon the sounds of the rugaru paused before getting more excited and, more importantly, moving further away from where Sam was hiding.

Sam gave a mental count to fifty before deciding it would be safe for him to climb down and make his chase after the rugaru and Gabriel. Making sure that he had both his gun, his knife and -more importantly - a mini flamethrower on him, Sam gave a nod to himself and then quickly began to run through the trees.

It didn't take him long to find them, Gabriel managing to hold his own against the crazed manlike beast that was trying to make Gabriel its next meal. Sam held back the snicker that wanted to escape when he overheard Gabriel cursing the rugaru, Sam and everyone who had ever made a rugaru or a stupid plan that involved using innocent archangels as bait. Actually, it was the innocent archangels part that made it most difficult for Sam not to break down into hysterical giggles.

Deciding that if he didn't want to get smote anytime soon, then he really should set fire to the thing cornering Gabriel, Sam pulled the trigger on the flamethrower and then cursed - loudly - when it just sputtered and spat out a little cloud of smoke.

"Well fuck," Sam muttered, looking up from the flamethrower when he heard a deep growl in front of him and a suspicious lack of bitching coming from Gabriel. "Um…"

"I like this plan better! You be the bait, I'll smite! Get running, Samsquatch!" Gabriel declared, wincing when the rugaru's attention was dragged back to him.

"Uh huh! Excellent plan! Just smite it already! Or set it on fire! Or, next time, make sure you give me a _working flamethrower_!" Sam yelled, throwing the useless weapon at the rugaru and grinning when it yelped and jumped back. Though the grin faded when it turned out to just piss the monster off even more! "You suck as a hunter!" Sam yelled out before stumbling backwards and running when the rugaru decided that he was the one it wanted to eat. Or probably just maul slowly and painfully because of the little flamethrower to the head incident.

"Oh come on! It's not my fault Crowley didn't think this was bad enough for him to bother with!"

"Who cares?! Kill it already!" Sam shouted, yelping when he stumbled on a root and twisted his ankle slightly. Thankfully not falling, Sam kept his balance and carried on running, not daring to look back to see just how much space the rugaru had gained on him.

"Alright, keep your panties on!" Gabriel shouted after him, making Sam wonder how he got lumbered with the worlds worst angel on a hunt. What use was an angel that dicked about and didn't help?

"Kill it! _Kill it_!"

"You know, you remind me of my favourite scene in Jurassic Park. Shoot her! Shooooot her!" Gabriel shouted from somewhere behind him in an overly dramatic voice. Were Sam not in danger of becoming a rugaru's chew toy, Sam would have rolled his eyes or possibly even laughed. As it were…

"Will you stop joking about! I'm telling Crowley!" Sam yelled over his shoulder before giving a yelp as he finally tripped over another root and went flying into a small - yet overly spiky if Sam had an opinion on spiky bushes - bush. Sam squeezed his eyes shut tight, not wanting to see his impending death loom above him.

Of course, the sound of maniacal cackling and a loud - and far too close to his face for comfort - yelp made Sam's eyes shoot open immediately to see the rugaru having been yanked back from Sam before Gabriel set it on fire with a snap of his fingers. Breathing a sigh of relief, Sam winced as he extracted himself from the prickly bush and carefully pulled out a couple of thorns that had decided to make a break for it with him in his skin.

"Took your damn time, didn't you?" Sam grouched as he brushed away the few thorns that were just stuck in his clothes, looking up through his fringe to glare at Gabriel when the stupid moron had the audacity to chuckle.

"But your yells and screams were so amusing!"

"I'm still telling Crowley," Sam muttered, picking up his knife and gun form where they'd fallen when he had taken a swan dive into the bush.

"Oh come on, don't be such a baby! I killed it, didn't I?" Gabriel asked, pouting when Sam looked up at him and just upped his glare at him.

"Yeah, you're a jerk. Thank gods this is the last hunt before I need to get back to California and actually start to study for my LSATs. Otherwise I don't think I'd survive to October. Come on, we better get back to Crowley before he wonders what happened to us. Well, to me. Because you suck at hunting. Are you sure you're a guardian angel?"

"Who the hell said anything about me being a guardian angel? Who said anything about any angel being a guardian?! Stupid belief, that. Angels couldn't care less about the wellbeing of mankind. Die, kill one another, live, no skin off their backs," Gabriel pointed out, grinning at Sam's scandalised stare.

"Living with you has shaken my beliefs to the core. Never will I be able to say my prayers at night."

"You sleep with a demon, chances are they're bouncing off deaf ears anyway," Gabriel pointed out and Sam found that he really didn't have anything to say to that. Instead he chose to just make his way out of the forest, giving a small yelp when Gabriel gave a loud sigh of exasperation before grabbing Sam around the waist and taking them out of the forest with a barely there flutter of wings.

Sam's thoughts about the summer were that it was certainly different. Sure, he hadn't wanted to go back into hunting, wanting to stay in college and become a lawyer instead, but hunting with Gabriel and Crowley was nothing like he expected and even with the near-death experiences, Sam found himself having more fun hunting than he'd ever had before. Though it also made him miss those hunts he'd been sent on with Dean by their dad in the summer before Sam had decided he no longer wanted to be dragged around the country by their dad anymore.


	16. Year 4, Part 2

Part Two

"Sam!" Sam looked up from the book he was feverishly going over in the main cafeteria on campus when he heard his name being called. Seeing Janey heading towards him with Jess following quickly behind, Jess and Janey apparently having gotten a lot closer since they'd all gone out at the end of the previous year - something that struck fear in Sam's heart - Sam gave a small smile and waved them over.

"Hey, what are you two doing here?" Sam asked, closing the book with a small feeling of gratitude just because it meant he wouldn't have to read anymore about the law system in the US. Jess and Janey both smiled at him as they took seats opposite him.

"Studying for the LSATs? How come you're not over at Lacey's?" Janey asked him with a small nod to the book on the table. "And where the hell did you get an affordable copy of that?!"

"Lacey's has been taken over by the new freshmen and so our normal booth isn't free. It's upsetting and annoying and quite frankly, I don't have to patience to listen to the cries when I kick them out. How come you're not there?" Sam asked, knowing that the answer would probably be the same.

"Same reason. So? Secret stash of brand new, yet reasonably priced law books? Where is this?" Janey asked, whilst Jess snickered though look interested in his answer. Probably in hopes that he also knew where to find cheaper texts for her as well.

"Ah, sucks to be you. I got bought these for Christmas," Sam said, not sounding sorry at all and the huge smile on his face probably didn't help make him look sorry either.

"What? Who? Crowley?!" Jess asked, pouting at him as though it was his fault that he got given them as a present as opposed to having to break the bank to buy them. And really, he had no idea why Janey needed to buy them, given she only had a month left before their LSATs so she should have them by now.

"No… Gabriel's youngest son and daughter," Sam mumbled, wincing at the almost deafening silence that brought him from the two girls opposite him. Well, it did possibly come as a surprise. If he only knew Crowley and Gabriel as much as Jess and Janey did, he'd have put money more on Crowley having some illegitimate child somewhere.

"_Gabriel?!_ Gabriel has kids? Wha- how old is he?! Wait, how old are the kids?" Jess asked, which really weren't questions Sam wanted to answer. He needed to think before he answered more often to avoid these awkward, pretty much unanswerable questions.

"Um… about our age? I think. Nir is er… yeah, I think he's about our age and Hel-_en_ is um… a year or two older?" Sam said with a mental wince. He didn't believe himself and he knew he was lying. Which was possibly why he didn't believe himself. He really needed more coffee.

"And they're fine with you dating their dad?" Jess asked, before Janey shook her head and leant forward a little more.

"You said his _youngest_ kids. That would imply that he's got more! How many kids does he have? And how old is he?!" Janey asked, sealing Sam's decision to think more before giving any answer. Especially when with nosy and observant friends.

"Um.. Yeah. He's got er… four more. Both um… both sets of twins. Yeah. They're er… I dunno, few years older than us? All male. Yep. Oh wow! Is that the time? I've got to go! For um… a class. Yep!"

"Sit down, Sam. All your classes for today are with me and I don't have need to leave yet. So park your ass, Sammy, we're not done with you," Janey told him, much to Sam's despair and Jess' amusement.

Giving a soft little sigh and wondering if he should think to update his will sometime soon - not that he had anything to leave except Pavlov and he would haunt Crowley if the demon didn't look after Pavlov should Sam die at the hands of his 'well-meaning' friends - Sam sat back down, quickly snatching his book away from Janey when she began to slide it towards her.

"Fine, see, I'm sitting down. Jeeze. You do remember that we _do_ have a class in like thirty minutes though, right? And have you actually studied at all for the LSATs?" Sam asked, deciding to just put the book back in his bag when it didn't look like Janey was going to stop trying to take it.

"I've started! Probably not as obsessively as you, but I've started! Besides, we all know that you're going to do fine, so do you think you could maybe start studying with me? After all, it's common knowledge that studying with someone helps you! I think, that's right, right?" Janey asked, looking at Jess for the answer. Sam just snickered and shook his head.

"Yeah, yeah. We can start studying together. And yes, that means you can come over to my house on occasion and bother Crowley. I'd say bother Gabriel as well, but chances are he'll turn it around and just start bothering you. And he'll win. So I wouldn't bother if I were you," Sam told her with a small shrug, a small voice in the back of his head screaming at him that what he'd just offered could not be considered as thinking before he spoke.

"Really? Excellent! I'm free after class later if you want to make a start today! And hey, Jess could come along and quiz us if she's free and she wants, what do you say, Jess?" Janey asked, completely bypassing Sam and inviting Jess along for the ride. Not that Sam minded all too much. Jess might actually help him tone Janey down a little and prevent her from bugging Crowley to the point of homicide. What was he thinking, Jess would just encourage her.

"Ooh! I'm down with that! Hey, it's a Friday, so we can make it a slumber party!" Jess said, completely forgetting that they weren't twelve and Sam wasn't a girl.

"Er…" Sam just gaped when Janey seemed to make a small squeal noise - a little like a spastically happy dolphin if Sam was stupid and dared to think such a thing about Janey, which he wasn't - and started to make plans in high-pitched noises that only border collies and women would be able to hear. All Sam knew was that he was doomed, because if these two didn't kill him, then Crowley would.

* * *

After the first successful 'sleepover' - successful in Sam's eyes meaning they all survived the whole night and Crowley didn't kill him and bury his remains somewhere no one would ever be able to find - it became a ritual. Every Friday night, Jess and Janey stayed the night at Sam's. And if there was any tests for any of them, then the night before they'd do the same. So in the past four weeks, Sam, Jess and Janey had had about seven 'sleepovers' which Sam refused to call them but Gabriel insisted on. The bastard that he was.

And then, once the girls had left in the Saturday morning, Gabriel or Crowley normally came to him with another hunt and took him to it. Unless he had a reason he couldn't go. So far he hadn't had a reason not to, except not wanting to die because Gabriel sucked at hunting. Though that was apparently not a valid excuse.

This weekend however, Sam didn't see him going on a hunt anywhere. In fact, Jess and Janey would be staying for the whole weekend and Crowley and Gabriel had both mentioned that they might go out of town - which Sam took as running from Sam's freakishly chatty female friends - for the weekend because on the Monday morning, Sam and Janey would be taking their LSATs. They had decided to spend the whole weekend cramming as much as they could, Jess offering to help as she had been doing by quizzing them though she'd also said she would be bringing some of her own work to do as well.

So Sam didn't really feel too bad when he said his goodbyes to Crowley and Gabriel - it wasn't like he was kicking them out after all and he knew they'd just be going to Bobby's, so Sam felt that they should be the guilty ones for giving Sam nightmares. Almost as soon as the door shut behind Gabriel, there was a knocking and Sam opened it to find Jess and Janey standing on the doorstep, both holding large bags full of their clothes and books that they'd need.

Quickly stepping aside, Sam let them enter the house and shut the door behind them before following them into the front room. Sam had dragged every blanket, duvet and pillow that he could find in the house into the living room, as well as setting up all the snacks and drinks they'd need on the coffee table that he'd pushed in front of the TV. The overall affect made the living room look like a giant nest. In fact, Gabriel had asked if Sam was pregnant and had now entered his nesting stage. Sam felt the punch he had given Gabriel was deserved.

"Oh cool! We don't have to leave this room at all all weekend! Well, you know, except for drinks and going to the toilet. But other than that, this is brilliant! So, should we start straight on the studying, or should we chill for a little while?" Jess asked, dropping her bags by the side of the couch and taking a seat on one of the large bean bag pillows that Sam had shameless begged Gabriel into snapping up.

"I say we chill. Maybe have tonight as a chilling night and then really get stuck into the studying this weekend. Don't want to overdo it after all," Sam pointed out as Janey moved to grab the other bean bag, leaving Sam to shrug and lie across the sofa.

"I'm with Sam. Excellent idea! We can start with catching up on gossip! Because, you know what I heard earlier today?" Janey asked, sitting up slightly to grab a bag of chips and opening it. Sam just gave a shrug, moving so that he could see both girls comfortably without having to sit up.

"Pass me a coke, please?" Sam asked Janey, who was sitting nearest the snack table. With a small sigh and roll of her eyes, Janey passed a coke to Sam and one to Jess.

"Thanks. So, what did you hear?" Jess asked as she took her own drink and opened it. Sam just blinked lazily and wondered when it was he'd turned into one of the girls. He thought it might have been the day he'd introduced himself to Janey. Of course, Dean would have insisted that Sam had always been a girl, but what did Dean know?

"It's about Brady!" That got Sam's attention. He actually hadn't really paid too much attention as to what people were saying about Brady's lack of appearance at the beginning of the year, not wanting to accidentally give anything away with his ridiculous inability to lie.

"Oh? What about him? I had wondered where he was, but because I didn't have any classes with him or know anyone else who did, I just thought he'd finally gotten a place out of the dorms. Is that not true?" Jess asked, whilst Sam tried his hardest not to fidget and bring attention to himself. Though now he really want ed to hear what people had been saying.

"No! No one's seen him. And well, finally the other day someone said that Brady had been kicked out because he didn't attend any of his finals at the end of last year! Can you believe it?!" Janey asked, looking excited with the gossip, whilst Sam just had a very bad feeling about the whole topic of conversation.

"Sam? You're close to Brady, right? Have you been in touch with him at all over the summer?" Jess asked, looking at Sam, who had a sudden empathy with cornered animals.

"Close? What the hell gave you that impression? I couldn't stand Brady! He drove me up the wall and quite honestly, made my first year of college hell before I found respite in the form of Crowley. So no, I haven't been in touch with him. And I can't really say I'm too shocked that he didn't turn up for his finals," Sam added, deciding to just stick with the truth as vaguely as he could. After all, he _hadn't_ gotten on well with Brady and given what he knew of what happened to Brady, he definitely would have been more shocked _had_ the man somehow turned up for his finals.

"Really? Huh, he always seemed to give the impression that he was your best friend at college," Jess said, which caused Janey to make an affronted noise.

"_I'm_ his best friend at college! Brady was just an annoyance, though it does suck that you don't know more. I'd thought or hoped at least, that one of you two might know something more than what I heard. Damn," Janey said with a small pout, shoving a handful of chips into her mouth and crunching on them before wrinkling her nose and looking at Sam and Jess once more. "Well, that's all the gossip I have. Jess? Sam? Hey, Sam, you set the date of the wedding yet?"

"Wedding?! Oh my god, has Crowley proposed?!" Jess asked, actually sounding serious, like she honestly thought Sam would get married to Crowley and apparently forgetting that it wasn't actually legal.

"Er… one? No. And two, why the hell would it be Crowley to propose? How come it wouldn't be me or Gabriel? _Not_ that we're getting married, by the way. And Janey, you knew that so stop trying to get people excited for a wedding that isn't going to happen!" Sam added in a hiss, glaring at Janey and wanting to smack a pillow into her face when she just grinned unapologetically at him.

"Aw, that sucks! And I didn't say that you wouldn't be the one to propose, just… if it were to happen, Crowley struck me as the one to do the proposing. He's all British and… romantic seeming," Jess said with a nod, looking like she actually knew this to be a fact as opposed to something she'd apparently completely dreamt up. Sam, in fact, was so shocked at the thought of Crowley coming across as the romantic one of the relationship that he choked on the sip of coke he'd taken.

"Crowley? How does Crowley come across as the romantic one? Crowley thinks romance is calling for take away instead of making me or Gabriel do it!" Sam said with a snicker, though silently he agreed that of the three, Crowley probably was the romantic one - not that it said much about them.

"Well… he's English," Jess said with a small shrug, like that explained everything.

"Um… Yeah, English, not Italian or French. Are the English thought to be particularly romantic?" Sam asked, not actually knowing and if he were to go by Janey's expression, she didn't know either.

"Are they not? I dunno… Crowley just strikes me as someone romantic. And you've completely ruined my ideas about him! I think I might cry myself to sleep now," Jess said with a false sad look. Janey snorted loudly in amusement and threw a handful of chips at Jess's head. "Hey!"

"Surely you should cry to sleep over the fact that Crowley and Sam are gay and together than the fact that Crowley isn't all that romantic. Much more depressing fact, if you ask me," Janey pointed out blandly. Jess stared at her and then turned to blink at Sam silently before slumping.

"Damn, you're right. Where's Pavlov? I need something fluffy to hug," Jess said. Sam just snickered and shook his head, wondering just what Jess would say were she to ever find out that she hugged a hellhound for comfort.

"He's with Crowley. Crowley took him for training or something. I'm not too sure and decided it would be better for my peace of mind to not ask for any details when he mumbled about taking Pavlov for the weekend," Sam admitted with a small shrug. Knowing that Janey was still backing the idea of Crowley being a mob boss, Sam could take a guess at what she thought Crowley wanted Pavlov for.

"Aw, that sucks. I wanted hugs tonight! Puppy hugs! Real puppy hugs, not gay guy masquerading as a puppy hugs," Jess added as though she actually feared Sam would maul her with hugs. Which wasn't something he'd do, though now she seemed so opposed to it, he had an overwhelming urge to just glomp her and not let go until she cried or something. Maybe begged. Or thumped him. Jess had a mean right hook.

"You didn't ask for any details at all? Not like… if it was work related training?" Janey asked, proving Sam's mental bet on what she was thinking Crowley needed Pavlov for. Really, he knew his friends far better than they probably thought he did.

"I asked for no details, but I'd imagine he'd be training him for work given he's away this weekend with work. As is Gabriel actually. I think they deliberately planned it that way. They'll be back Monday afternoon whilst we're in the exam," Sam said with a small grin, which probably look ridiculously sappy, as he thought about Gabriel and Crowley promising that they would be here by the time his exam ended so that they could celebrate. Even if Sam told them that they wouldn't actually find out the results of said exam the same day he took it.

"Oh gods, Sam's gettin' schmoopy. Quick, change the subject before I throw up!" Janey said with a laugh, dodging the pillow that Sam threw at her.

"She has a point. You do sometimes get this sickeningly happy look on your face. I'm voting for change of subject, though I can't actually think of any-ooh! Actually, there was this girl in my class today and sweet Jesus, you should have seen what she was wearing! I actually had to take a photo! Because I think It should be made law that no one wears leggings. Especially these ones," Jess said with an exaggerated shudder as she held her phone for Janey to see, then gave it to Sam, who reared back when he saw a picture of a girl wearing weird knitted legging things. Which were disturbing alone without the fact that the girl wearing them was possibly a little larger than average.

"Eesh, who the hell let her our wearing them?" Sam exclaimed before he could stop himself, then he winced and looked up to see Jess and Janey staring at him in amusement. "Oh gods, I'm gay!"

"Huh, you take it up the ass for three years and it's only when you turn into a bitch that you realise you're gay? Maybe we should start the studying now after all," Janey pondered, making Jess giggle whilst Sam just glared at her.

"Who says I'm the bottom? I'm the tallest one, so surely I'm the top!" Sam exclaimed, even if he knew it was a bald-faced lie. Though he had topped a couple of times, he just preferred to give up control but he wasn't going to out and out tell his friends that. If he were to go by their faces, neither one believed him anyway.

"Sure, you're the top. What with your bitchy, girly ways, you're soft hair and freakishly sensitive personality. Oh yeah, you just scream 'grr, I shall plough you!' Yep, definitely," Janey said with a nod, grinning when Sam and Jess gaped at her.

"Really? Plough you? Come on, that's just wrong! Hands up who has rolled over and let themselves get…'ploughed', especially when that line was used," Sam said, grimacing at the word used and then snickering when Janey looked sheepish.

"Yeah, that was a little too graphic and disturbing, wasn't it? Still, got my point through. You, my dear, are the bottom in the relationship. Don't deny it, no one would ever believe you," Janey added quickly, even though Sam wasn't even going to bother wasting his breath.

"Fine, whatever. So do you think we actually have a chance at passing this thing?" Sam asked, deciding to change the subject to a safer topic than his sexual preference in bed. Because really, that was a disturbing conversation topic for him to be having with the two people he saw as little sisters.

"You definitely do. I… probably have a chance of scraping by. Can you scrape by on LSATs?" Sam snorted and shook his head in amusement, refusing to admit that he was wondering the exact same thing.

* * *

Sam grinned as he ran into the house, the results of his LSATs gripped in his hands. He laughed loudly as he crash tackled Gabriel onto the couch as soon as he entered the living room, cackling when Gabriel just gave a loud huff and wrapped his arms around Sam.

"I take it your results were good then?" Crowley asked as he walked into the living room from his office, clearly coming in to see what the commotion was all about. "Either that, or Gabriel's managed to piss you off in some way again."

"One seventy-four! I got a one seventy-four! I'm well on my way to being an awesome lawyer for you two! I can see it now! I will be able to get you two out of everything even without having to make nefarious deals or asking Fenrir to come bail you out… again," Sam added as an afterthought, grinning down from where he had moved to straddle Gabriel's waist.

"So, one seventy-four is good then?" Crowley asked, walking further into the room and taking a seat on the arm of the couch Sam and Gabriel were sprawled across.

"It's awesome! And I have an interview for Law School here on Monday! Everything is going amazing! Janey did amazing as well and also has an interview to get into law school here! We're gonna be epic and open our own firm and get all mob bosses and mafia lords out of trouble! We shall be epic! And you two will just… er… keep us alive should we not be epic and not manage to keep all rich bad guys out of prison, yeah?" Sam asked, looking over to Crowley as he considered just what his daydreams might bring about. Crowley just watched him in amusement whilst Gabriel snickered, before tickling Sam. Sam squirmed and then giggled as he fell off the couch and onto the floor in his attempt to get away from Gabriel.

"So you're gonna be a hotshot lawyer who'll be getting 'protection' from me and Gabriel? You better give us legal advice for free!" Crowley muttered, grinning down at Sam who was gasping and giggling, lying flat on his back on the floor. Sam just smiled widely at him, relaxing on the floor as he felt completely content with his plans and possible future life.

"Yep! And of course you two would get free legal advice! How else would we get clients if not from you two threatening — I mean, recommending us to people! That is how you would pay us! It's going to be awesome, admit it!" Sam demanded with a laugh, moving so he could sit up and lean against the couch. His eyes immediately fluttered shut when Gabriel's fingers found their way in Sam's hair.

"Okay, so you have it all planned out and it does indeed sound amazing. Does this mean that we can celebrate?" Gabriel asked, scratching his nails over Sam's head and making Sam practically melt against the couch as he sighed in happiness.

"Sure, I'm good with that. Though Janey asked if we could go meet up with her for a few drinks at a bar. She specifically told me not to bother going if you two weren't going. But it's up to you two if we go, I'm fine with whatever you two want to do," Sam mumbled, wondering if it was possible for him to purr at the feeling of Gabriel's fingers running over his head.

"We can go out to meet Janey, then we can bring the celebration back here after we've got you nice and drunk!" Gabriel announced with a wide grin, which quickly turned into a leer when Sam glanced at him with a smile.

"Sounds good to me. Though I don't wanna get too drunk. I think I should prepare for my interview on Monday over the weekend. Don't want anything to get in the way of my amazing plans, do we?" Sam said, grinning widely. He laughed when Gabriel just snickered and rolled his eyes.

"Fairly certain you don't need to prepare too much, but if that's what you want to do this weekend, that's fine with us. What time did Janey want to meet up?" Crowley asked him, nudging Sam's thigh with his foot to get his attention.

"Hmm? She said to give her a text, but probably about sevenish. I'll send her a message in a minute to tell her that you two are fine with going out. Are you gonna be bringing your own alcohol?" Sam asked, knowing just how much it took for either one to get completely drunk and secretly hoping they would, because nothing amused Sam more than a chatty drunk Crowley. Or a grabby Gabriel.

"That's fine. Gabriel, you gonna get us some mead?" Crowley asked, looking over at Gabriel, who looked to be in deep thought. Clearly the question was one of great importance, something that made Sam bite his cheek to stop laughing.

"Sure, I can get us some! I can probably bribe Hermes to get us some ambrosia as well," Gabriel said with a wicked grin on his face. Sam watched the two with narrowed eyes before grinning and good-naturedly rolling his eyes.

"So I'm going to be the designated driver then?" Sam asked them, snickering when both men looked at him sheepishly. Clearly both realising that they had planned to get completely sloshed whilst it was technically Sam's celebration night.

"Er…"

"Nah, it's fine! I said I wasn't going to drink anyway, so it isn't like you forced me. Besides, you two are hilarious when you're drunk and I'm sober! So, I really don't mind at all," Sam reassured them with a wide grin, which just grew even bigger when Crowley narrowed his eyes at him.

"No photos. You promise me no photos and I'll agree," Crowley told him. Sam just pouted a little before shrugging and nodding his head.

"Fine, fine, no photos. You two are mean! I'm gonna text Janey, see when and where she wants to meet. Maybe just… one or two photos? Before you get completely drunk?" Sam asked as he stood up, taking his phone out of his pocket even as he looked at Crowley with wide puppy dog eyes.

"No!"

"Please?"

"The eyes don't work on me, Moose!"

"Crowley… Please? I don't have many photos of you two and this would really mean a lot to me," Sam said, still staring wide eyed at Crowley and ignoring the snickering coming from Gabriel.

"Stop… fine! Two! You can have two photos max! And then no more! And those two have to be taken before we've had three drinks. If you don't get them before that, then it's too late!" Crowley told him, looking highly put out over the fact that Sam had won that small battle of wills. That, apparently, was enough for Gabriel break down into a peal of laughter.

"You're awesome! Love you!" Sam said, running from the room before Crowley could either change his mind or do whatever demons did in place of smiting. Sam chuckled to himself as he ran to the bedroom, almost tripping over Pavlov when the dog decided to meet him from where he'd been sleeping in Crowley's office. Sam shut the door behind him when he got to the bedroom, then started to type out a text to Janey as he sat on the bed, deciding to let Crowley stew on his defeat until it was time to get ready to leave. It was probably the safest choice.

* * *

Sam snickered as he let a completely inebriated Gabriel lean heavily on him, Crowley muttering under his breath from where he was pretty much propped against the car and Janey giggling about it all. Really, this was why Sam had nothing against letting everyone around him drink whilst he stayed sober. Chances were that he'd be the only one to remember all of this.

"You sure it's alright to give me a ride back to mine?" Janey asked, voice only a little slurred as she hadn't really had too much to drink either. Both her and Sam quite content to sit back and watch Gabriel and Crowley try to drink one another under the table.

"Yeah, it's fine. Just need you to help me get these two into the car. Of course it's going to be even more interesting trying to get them out of the car on my own. Right, if you could just open the back door and we can bundle them both in there," Sam said, trying to subtly shift Gabriel to the side a little so that he could get the car keys out of his pocket. He gave a little triumphant exhale when he managed to grab them and unlock the car.

"You're not putting me in the back of my own bloody car! Who do you think you are? Lucifer? Pompous twat if I ever met one!" Crowley muttered when Janey opened the back door to the car and Sam had pushed Gabriel to sit inside before turning to Crowley. Sam just rolled his eyes and hoped Janey either hadn't heard him or just thought Crowley was completely insane.

"Hey! Don't talk about my — well, no, you're right. He is a bit of a pompous twat, isn't he? Thought he might have cooled down a little in the box, but apparently not. Ah well," Gabriel mumbled to himself, before trying to grope Sam.

"Gabriel, stop it! Crowley, get in the car, come on! Please?" Sam begged, not ashamed in the least for being dragged to that level. Though he did ignore Janey's snickering to the side of him.

"Should I just get in the car whilst you get Crowley to agree?" Janey asked, hovering by the passenger door. Sam glanced at her and then to Crowley, who was starting to tilt a little to the side, and nodded even as he grabbed Crowley to stop him tilting all the way over to the ground. He grinned when Crowley mumbled about being fine and wrinkling well made suits.

"Crowley, either you get in the car or I leave you here. And if I leave you here, then me and Gabriel will just have to have fun without you," Sam pointed out, which got both Crowley _and_ Gabriel's attention.

"Leave him! Leave him, Sammy! Just get in the car and drive! He'll be fine! CAR! GET IN! CAR!" Gabriel shouted, actually leaning over to try and shut the door himself. From where she was sitting in the front, Janey was in fits of giggles from Gabriel's actions.

"Shut up, Trickster! Fine, I'll get in the back but only so that you won't ever think about leaving me behind and sleeping with just that moron ever again, got that? I do this under duress!" Crowley declared, grumbling something Sam couldn't make out under his breath as he got into the back with Gabriel.

"Boo! Sammy, why did you let him in! He's just gonna be boring and-and be boring!" Gabriel exclaimed, hitting Crowley with his flailing arm and then pouting when Crowley smacked him back. Janey just carried on giggling as Sam walked around the car to get in the drivers side.

"Well, if he's boring, then we can just kick him out of bed, deal?" Sam asked as he started up the car. He grinned when Gabriel just gave a cheer for his answer whilst Crowley began to loudly proclaim that he was rarely, if ever, boring. "So, get you home first then?"

"Oh, if there's a choice in it, take me back with you. Sounds like you're going to have one hell of a night," Janey said with a leer, which for reasons Sam couldn't explain, made him blush.

"No, I think I'll just take you home. Did you have a good night?" Sam asked as he pulled away from the club and made his way to Janey's apartment, Janey having finally decided to spend her final year of college before law school out of the dorms.

"Yeah, it was great! And hey, Sam? Thanks for helping me so much with the LSATs, there's no way in hell I'd have done quite so well without you," Janey admitted with a small smile and shrug. Sam was about to answer before he heard Gabriel giggle behind them and glanced over his shoulder suspiciously.

"What are you two up to and since when did I turn into the father of this relationship?" Sam asked, almost to himself and feeling completely confused by that realisation. Janey just snickered next to him whilst Gabriel looked at him innocently and Crowley leered.

"We're just planning what we're gonna do to you when we get back home. So better hurry up in getting your friend back to hers so we can put our plans into action," Crowley told him, smirking when Sam quickly looked back to face the road and swallowed heavily, shifting a little in his seat.

"Right! Better get you back, Janey!" Sam said in a voice that was a little higher than usual, and silently wondering just when it had gotten so hot in the car. Janey snorted next to him, which Sam just chose to ignore and instead picked up the speed to get Janey and then himself and his lovers home as soon as possible.


	17. Year 4, Part 3

Part Three

Sam woke suddenly when he heard the sounds of someone trying to get in the house. Sitting up in bed, Sam glanced to either side and noticed that for once Gabriel and Crowley were fast asleep, both clearly sleeping off the copious amounts of alcohol they had drank that night. At the foot of the bed, Pavlov looked up and gave a small low growl, which prompted Sam to get out of the bed - being careful not to wake up either of his lovers and grabbing Pavlov's collar.

Sam shuffled quietly, almost silently, out of the bedroom with Pavlov silently stalking beside him as they made their way down the stairs to where the would-be hellhound midnight snack had apparently made their way inside. Sam scowled at that, just knowing it was a stupid human who just thought it was an amazing idea to break into their house, though Sam had no idea why because it wasn't like they had anything worth stealing other than Crowley's car. Which was outside.

Standing in the doorway to the living room, Sam could see a silhouette of a man standing in the middle of the room, seemingly looking around him at his surroundings, though for what, Sam had no idea. Instead of trying to work it out, Sam silently crouched beside Pavlov and made eye contact with the hellhound before looking further down the hallway to the door that led to the kitchen. He then looked back at Pavlov and let go of the collar, hoping that the dog got the hint that Sam wanted him to go into the living room from the other entrance that led from the kitchen. Pavlov gave a soft nip to his fingers before stalking off down the hallway, practically blending into the shadows as he went.

When he was certain Pavlov wouldn't come back to him, Sam stood up and finally entered the living room, immediately tackling the intruder to the ground and wincing when he heard a crash of something they hit as they went. Almost as soon as they hit the floor, Sam was winded by the man elbowing his side and found himself flipped. Sam growled and struggled, punching at the man, who chuckled as he dodged and just made Sam even angrier.

They both froze though when the sound of snarled, growling was heard to the side of them. Sam glanced to the side, as did the intruder, and grinned when all he could see was white fangs and red eyes glinting in the shadows.

"Whoa! Easy, tiger! Call off the freaky dog, yeah?" Sam blinked and reared back as far as he could being pinned to the floor when he realised he knew that voice.

"Dean?!" Sam exclaimed, which made Dean chuckle and finally get off of Sam, though the movement made Pavlov snarl even louder and take a step closer to them.

"Sammy? The guard dog? I don't fancy being mauled," Dean muttered, freezing when he was only partway off of Sam. Sam just glared, though he knew his brother couldn't see it in the darkness of the room.

"You scared the crap out of me! Why the hell should I stop him from biting you! Might teach you a damned lesson!" Sam yelled angrily, shoving at Dean and feeling a small sense of satisfaction when Dean toppled backwards with a groan. Pavlov quickly moved forwards and placed himself between Sam and Dean, still snarling and growling though Sam placed a calming hand on the dogs side, hoping he'd back down.

"What's with the dog, Sammy?" Dean asked incredulously as he stared at Pavlov who was pretty much standing over Sam.

"He's mine, a present I got last Christmas. He's called Pavlov. Pavlov, it's alright, I know who this is. Calm down," Sam whispered to the dog in what he hoped to be a soothing fashion, smiling to himself when Pavlov stopped growling and relaxed a little so he was leaning against Sam's side.

"Who the hell gave you a dog?!" Dean asked, and as fate would have it, practically getting his answer when the light was switched on and Crowley entered the room, quickly followed by Gabriel.

"Who the hell are you and what the bloody hell are you doing in my house?!" Crowley growled, though Sam knew the man knew exactly who Dean was. Sam would have to admit though, that Crowley was pretty damn intimidating when he wanted to be.

"Crowley, this is my brother, Dean. Dean, this is.." Sam paused and nibbled at his lower lip, just wondering how to introduce Crowley and Gabriel to his brother. Giving a small mental shrug, Sam decided to just go with the truth. "Dean, this is Crowley and Gabriel. They're my partners."

"Partners in what?" Dean asked, a little stupidly in Sam's opinion. Judging by the derisive snort Gabriel gave from where he was perched leaning against the doorway.

"Dean… don't be a moron. And then tell me what the hell you're doing here," Sam muttered, groaning as he dragged himself up off the floor to stand up and moved over to where Crowley was looming in the middle of the room. Pavlov gave a warning growl to Dean, who quickly moved to stand as well, and then padded over to sit next to Gabriel. Apparently Pavlov thought it was wise to have Sam and Gabriel guarded by someone who'd spent time in Hell. Strange dog that he was.

"Dude! You're-you-Sam?" Dean asked, looking for all the world like he had no idea what was what anymore and which way was up. Sam just sighed and stepped even closer to Crowley, grabbing his hand to give Dean the final hint he apparently needed.

"Yeah, Dean, I'm gay. Deal with it. Now, tell me what the hell you're doing here!" Sam demanded, far too tired to really want to deal with any of Dean's nonsense. Pavlov growled loudly, showing everyone in the room just how in touch he was with his owners feelings.

"I just thought I'd come over for a beer," Dean said with a small shrug and a smile that he always used when he had been in trouble. Ninety percent of the time it had gotten him out of trouble. Sadly for Dean, that ten percent that it didn't work, it was because he'd used it on Sam.

Sam just gave him an unimpressed look and then sighed loudly. "Great, Dean. What the hell are you doing here?" Sam asked once more, clicking his tongue when he noticed Pavlov creeping closer to Dean once more. As annoyed as Sam was, he didn't really want his dog to eat his brother.

"Okay, alright. We gotta talk," Dean told him bluntly, apparently getting that Pavlov was rather keen to maul him and Sam could only stop Pavlov so much. Of course, Sam couldn't stop Crowley and Gabriel at all, and a glance to the side showed him that both his lovers were looking furious and glaring at Dean. Given the height, stature and apparent ages of his lovers, Sam just knew Dean saw no threat in either of them.

"Uh, the phone?" Sam pointed out, staring at Dean and honestly wondering if Dean had taken one too many hits to the head, because he was clearly lacking in common sense.

"If I'd'a called, would you have picked up?" Dean asked him snidely. Sam just rolled his eyes at his brother's childish behaviour and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Dean! You rang me three weeks ago to find out if I knew that Zepplin were doing a tour! If I answered for that, I'm pretty sure I'll answer for anything! What was so important that you had to break into my damned house to tell me?" Sam asked, gaping at Dean when his brother actually blushed and looked a little sheepish about the whole thing. Though once Sam asked what Dean was there for, Dean suddenly turned serious once more.

"Can we talk somewhere in private?" Dean asked, throwing weary looks to Gabriel and Crowley then looking back at Sam with a raised eyebrow, clearly trying to silently tell Sam that he didn't want to talk about whatever was bugging him in front of Crowley and Gabriel.

Sadly for him, Sam really wasn't in any mood to pander to Dean's needs and had no problem discussing anything in front of Crowley and Gabriel. It wasn't like either one didn't know everything about Sam anyway. As much as Sam had missed Dean, breaking into his house, waking Sam up and then attacking him and tackling him to the floor hadn't really endeared Sam too much to his older brother right at that moment.

"No. Whatever you want to say, you can say it in front of them," Sam told him in a no nonsense voice, glaring at Dean and silently daring the man to protest.

"Okay, fine, um… Dad hasn't been home in a few days," Dean told him. Sam huffed loudly and rolled his eyes, shuffling a little where he stood and only just stopping himself from jumping when Gabriel moved to stand behind him and placed a hand on Sam's lower back.

"So he's working overtime on a Miller Time shift. He'll stumble back in sooner or later," Sam said with a shrug and careless wave of his hand. He'd missed Dean, but he certainly hadn't missed his dad and his drunken trips. Nor had he missed Dean's ridiculous idolisation of their father.

Dean looked at the floor and then glanced back up, clearly uncomfortable talking about this in front of Crowley and Gabriel. "Dad's on a hunting trip. And he hasn't been home in a few days," Dean added. Sam stiffened where he stood and felt Gabriel shift even closer, whilst Crowley placed a soothing hand on Sam's shoulder.

"So what exactly do you want me to do about that?" Sam asked in a slightly strained voice, not entirely sure he knew what he wanted the answer to be.

"I need you to come help me find him. He… he was on a hunt not far from here and well… I need you with me on this," Dean told him, shuffling awkwardly where he stood. Sam just gave a loud sigh and slumped where he was standing.

"Come on, Dean! You can't just break in, middle of the night and expect me to hit the road with you!" Sam asked incredulously, staring at Dean and honestly beginning to wonder if Dean had completely lost his mind.

"You're not hearing me, Sammy. Dad's missing. I need you to help me find him! Look, can we talk somewhere private? I need… I need to tell you some things," Dean said, shifting uncomfortably as he glanced at Crowley and Gabriel once again. Sam just huffed and narrowed his eyes at his brother.

"No. They know everything, Dean. And I mean everything. They know about Dad, they know about hunting, they know about demons and spirits and witches, they know it all! So just tell me what makes this time different from every other time Dad's gone AWOL! You know, like the poltergeist in Amherst? Or the Devil's Gates in Clifton? He's always missing, Dean! And every time he shows up again like a bad penny and he's fine! What makes this so damn different from all those other times?" Sam asked, ignoring the fact that Dean was now staring at him like he was the one to have lost his mind. Clearly still stuck on the fact that Sam was living with two men who apparently knew everything.

"You told them? It's… this is that serious?" Dean asked, sounding a little lost, like he didn't know where he stood anymore. Or that he no longer knew Sam.

"They already knew. But yeah, I told them. And yeah, it's serious. Bobby told me to tell them—"

"Bobby knows them?! Dude, you told Bobby but you couldn't tell me? Sammy.." Dean visibly deflated in front of them, clearly hurt and upset at Sam's obvious distrust in him. Sam bit on his lip and tried to ignore the guilt he was feeling, he glanced to the side at Crowley, hoping to get an idea of what to do and smiled weakly when Crowley just squeezed his shoulder before pulling back.

"Right, me and Gabriel will go back to our room so you two can talk. But, Sam, maybe you should go with your brother for the weekend. See if you can find your dad. Take the mutt with you, it needs more training anyway. Useless thing," Crowley added with a sneer at Pavlov, who just snarled back in his own doggy way of a sneer. The only thing he'd actually learnt from Crowley.

"Seems pretty well trained to me," Dean muttered under his breath with a wary look at Pavlov. Crowley just snorted when he heard what Dean said and shook his head.

"Nah, stupid thing is just ridiculously protective of the Moose. In fact, Sam is the only one who can get it to do anything," Crowley told him, making Sam glare at him whilst Gabriel snickered softly at Sam's side.

"Maybe if you didn't call him 'it' and 'mutt' all the time, then he'd listen to you. And are you sure you'd be okay if I went with Dean?" Sam asked, nibbling on his lip as he looked from Crowley to Gabriel and back, hoping to see any hint that neither man was happy with the plan. He didn't get one.

"You and your big brother need to talk and you need to get in touch again. This weekend will be a good way of doing that, though make sure you get him back before Monday," Crowley added as he turned to glare at Dean. Dean just stared back at him with wide eyes and nodded his head.

Sam however, was suspicious. If anyone were to ask him, then he'd tell them that Crowley and Gabriel were being far to happy to get rid of him and it seemed like they wanted him out of the house.

"And you? You're fine with this?" Sam asked Gabriel, spinning to pin the angel with a narrow eyed look. Gabriel just grinned and shrugged, not even bothering to look innocent.

"Hey, you gotta do what you gotta do. And Crowley might castrate me if I actually said otherwise. Look at him, he's all wily and mean," Gabriel said with a nod to Crowley, who indeed was looking mean. Sam just rolled his eyes, glancing to Dean when he snickered and tried to cover it with a cough.

"Fine, when did you want to leave?" Sam asked, finally turning back to face Dean once more, not reacting more than to put out his hand when he felt Pavlov move to sit almost on top of his foot. "And do you know what he was hunting?"

Dean nodded, and started to dig about in his pockets. "Right, hang on, let me find it."

"So, when Dad left, why didn't you go with him?" Sam asked as he waited for whatever it was Dean was searching for, and really, just how many pockets did Dean have? Crowley chose that moment to clear his throat and get Sam's attention.

"We're gonna head on upstairs. Come up to tell us when you know what you're gonna do. If your brother needs to stay the night, then you know where all the shit is to make up the bed in the spare room, alright?" Crowley told him, just as Dean clearly found whatever it was he had been searching for.

"Yeah, I'll let you know when I do. You two sure you're okay with this?" Sam asked, still not entirely certain he was happy with the fact that he was clearly being sent away for some reason.

"We're fine, but take Pavlov with you," Gabriel told him, running his hand over Sam's back as he passed and moved to stand next to Crowley.

"Okay, fine. Pavlov goes with us. I'll be up in a little bit," Sam added, grinning when Crowley tugged on the back of Gabriel's collar and practically dragged his out of the room. "So? Why didn't you go with Dad?"

"I was working my own gig. This, uh, voodoo thing down in New Orleans," Dean told him as he fiddled with the phone in his hand and not really paying attention to Sam, who decided to move closer to his brother, Pavlov loyally sticking to his side.

"Dad let you go on a hunting trip by yourself?" Sam asked, a little shocked by that given the last time Sam heard, John Winchester still treated Dean like the loyal soldier he was who just wasn't ready to go out in the field alone. Basically, John really hadn't trusted either of his sons to survive on their own without him there to lead them.

"I'm twenty-six, dude!" Dean told him, looking put out over the fact that Sam had been shocked because he'd been on a hunt alone. Which Sam just felt was unfair seeing as the last he'd heard, Dean didn't go on hunts alone.

"Fine, so did Dad tell you anything about what he was hunting?" Sam asked, whilst Dean shifted once more and pulled out a crumpled up paper folder that he'd tucked in the back of his jeans. At least, that was where Sam's mind was only allowing him to think Dean had kept it. Even if that time part of him that sounded far too much like Gabriel for his liking pointed out that Sam hadn't noticed it when he'd tackled Dean to the floor earlier.

"Alright, here we go." Dean said, opening the folder up and shifting a little nearer to Sam for him to see the contents as well. "So Dad was checking out this two-lane blacktop just outside of Jericho, California. About a month ago, this guy," here Dean pulled another piece of paper to the front, which happened to be a printout of an article from a local newspaper. "They found his car, but he vanished. Completely MIA."

"So maybe he was kidnapped," Sam pointed out, just wanting to see how much Dean knew about the hunt and how much their Dad had shared.

"Yeah. Well, here's another one in April," Dean told him, handing him yet another article from the same newspaper as before. This time about another disappearance but from the month Dean had said. "And another in December oh-four, oh-three, ninety-eight, ninety-two, ten of them over the past twenty years. All men, all the same five-mile stretch of road."

Dean paused and then held up what Sam had thought was a phone but was in fact a small handheld tape recorder.

"It started happening more and more, so Dad went to go dig around. That was about three weeks ago. I hadn't heard from him since, which is bad enough. Then I get this voicemail yesterday." Dean waved the tape recorder and then pressed play.

_"Dean… something big is starting to happen… I need to try and figure out whats going on. It may… Be very careful, Dean. We're all in danger."_ Dean clicked the button to stop the recording and looked to Sam, obviously silently asking him what his thoughts were.

"You know there's EVP on that?" Sam asked. Probably not what Dean was expecting Sam to say, but well, Sam felt he had a point.

"Not bad, Sammy. Kind like riding a bike, isn't it?" Dean asked with a grin. Sam wondered when would be the best time for him to let Dean know that he'd been hunting again for a few months now. Probably not right at that moment.

"So? I take it you know what the EVP is."

"Yeah yeah. I slowed the message down, ran it through a gold wave, took out the hiss and this is what I got," Dean told him, once more pressing a button for the recording to start once more.

_"I can never go home…"_ A mournful woman's voice came from the small machine, making Sam frown and bite on his lip as he tried to think of any possible things their dad could have been hunting. Because even Sam didn't think John Winchester would be taken out by a spirit.

"Never go home," Sam muttered, almost to himself. Those words struck something in him that made him think he'd possibly come across something similar before, but for the life of him, he couldn't think what it could be. Dean just gently dropped the folder and tape recorder onto the couch and gave a weary sigh.

"You know, in almost four years, I've never bothered you, never asked you for a thing," Dean said in a small voice, making Sam's heart give a guilty twinge, though he didn't really know why.

"I know and I'm thankful for that. Truly. And I said I'd go with you, Dean. Just… I really do have to be back first thing Monday," Sam told him with a small shrug, shifting a little so that Pavlov wasn't sitting on his foot anymore.

"What's first thing Monday?" Dean asked him, following behind Sam as Sam started to make his way out of the front room. Sam came to a stop by the stairs and looked at Dean with a small but proud smile.

"I have this… I have an interview," Sam told him, not entirely sure why he was censoring himself on something he was so damned proud of. Clearly some things between he and his brother would take a little longer to fix.

"What, a job interview? Skip it," Dean said breezily, giving Sam the answer as to why he hadn't told Dean from the off what the interview was about. Dean never saw this part of Sam's life as a serious thing and Sam did.

"It's a law school interview, and it's my whole future on a plate," Sam told him bluntly, not even bothering to keep his frustration out of his voice.

"Law school?"

"So, we got a deal or not?" Sam asked, taking a step up the stairs then turning back for Dean's answer.

"Fine, fine. Monday. Got ya. Go tell your Sugar Daddies that I'm taking you away now. And by the way, don't think we're not gonna be talking about _that_ on the way to Jericho. No way am I letting you get away with living with two men and not telling me," Dean told him. Sam just winced a little at the mere thought of that conversation as he gave a short nod and quickly made his way up the stairs.

* * *

Sam walked into the bedroom to find Crowley and Gabriel both sitting on the bed, having clearly been talking about Sam because they immediately went quiet when Sam entered the room. Sam just narrowed his eyes at them suspiciously and instead of saying anything, just went to grab a duffel bag and started to put some clothes into it.

"So you're heading off tonight then?" Crowley finally broke the silence with his question, his voice annoyingly neutral and not giving a thing away as to how he felt about it all.

"Yeah, figure we might as well head out as soon as we can so that I can be back in time for the interview on Monday. Gotta make sure I succeed in my plans, right?" Sam said with a weak smile. He couldn't help but think that all his plans were about to go down the drain and that it would partially be his dad's fault. Which made him feel guilty for even thinking it.

"And you will succeed, Sammy. So go hunt down your dad, kick his ass for making your brother worry, then get back and be an excellent lawyer. See, we have a plan!" Gabriel told him with a bright smile, though Sam noticed the smile only barely hid the worry in Gabriel's eyes.

"Okay, I'm good with that plan. Where're my knives? Ooh, and the one's from Fen and Jor! Hmm… I think those are in the living room, aren't they?" Sam asked, practically to himself given he was talking under his breath as he hunted down any weapons he might need for the weekend.

"Your guns are under the bed. Well, the ones Bobby gave you are. And yeah, the knives from the Wolf and Snake are in the display cabinet in the front room. And here, take this as well," Crowley told him, handing him a pouch of, when Sam looked inside it, strange black powder that looked a little like pepper.

"Um… what is it?" Sam asked, looking up from the bag and to Crowley and Gabriel, the latter of whom just shrugged, clearly as unaware as Sam.

"Goofer dust. But the protection kind. Technically, you use it to keep out hellhounds, but in a pinch it works like salt when thrown at most creatures, demons included. Just don't let that dumb mutt try and eat it. It won't agree with him," Crowley told him with a glare at Pavlov, who was amusing himself by chewing his leg. Sam was a little worried about the dog sometimes, maybe it was deprived of oxygen in the womb for a little too long or something.

"Huh, so we can use it to line the doors and windows then? Instead of salt?" Sam asked, looking back at the bag in his hands, then tying it shut and placing it in the bag.

"Sure, if you want. Do what you like with it, but make sure the mutt is inside before you line the windows with it," Crowley told him with a shrug that Sam figured was supposed to show Crowley's lack of caring, though the concern he was practically radiating ruined that.

"Sammy, if you need us, you know you only need call us. Any time. One or both of us will be there straight away. You know we can. And just… try to get things back to a fairly normal way of things with your brother. Use this weekend to catch up," Gabriel told him. Sam had a sickening feeling in his stomach that was screaming at him that Gabriel had an alternate reason for encouraging Sam to get back in touch with his brother. He stomped the feeling down however and just gave a small nod.

"I will, we're only going to Jericho, so it's not that far away. I'll grab the knives before I leave. Don't get into any trouble without me!" Sam told them with a forced smile, moving to give them both a deep kiss, before quickly leaving the room, practically falling over Pavlov as he did.

"Stay safe yourself!" Gabriel shouted after him and Sam smiled softly as he jogged down the stairs, Dean waiting for him at the bottom with a raised eyebrow. Which just went higher when Pavlov gave him a little growl.

"Huh, it really doesn't like me, does it?" Dean said with a glance to Sam before he pushed away from the wall and looked at Sam. "We ready to go?"

"Yeah, just let me grab something from the living room," Sam told him, walking back into the living room and heading to the display cabinet to grab the two knives he'd ben given by Gabriel's sons. Tucking them both into the waist of his jeans and ignoring the impressed whistle Dean gave when he saw them, Sam walked back to Dean and gave him a questioning look. "We ready?"

"Sure, let's go," Dean muttered as Sam just walked past him without really waiting for Dean's answer.

Sam stopped at the passenger side of the Impala, smiling softly to himself as he ran his hand over the door and gave a quick glance down to where Pavlov was still loyally sitting at his side, and somehow throwing him a look that told Sam he wasn't impressed with either Dean or having to travel in a car. Sam wasn't sure which, but he did know he would no longer think people were weird for having conversations with their dogs because Pavlov could speak whole stories with just one look.

"Your dog better not make a mess of my back seat or you're cleaning my baby with your bare hands!" Dean told him snappishly, unlocking the car and climbing in, reaching across to unlock Sam's door. Sam just ignored Dean's bitchiness and instead opened the back door for Pavlov and smiled happily when the dog jumped in the back with only a barely audible unimpressed grumble.

If all else failed, Sam figured he would at least be able to have a conversation with Pavlov on the journey. The dog was sure to have some interesting huffs and sniffs to say.

* * *

Sam had finally realised that it was hunting with his brother that he hated. He hated being treated like he didn't know what end of the gun was the shooty end - though calling it the shooty end possibly was the reason no one trusted him with a gun - and he was sick of Dean acting like he knew better. Most of all, Sam was down right disturbed by just how gassy his brother was and was beginning to wonder if Dean had some problems with his digestive system.

Of course, Sam might have been in a better mood over the whole thing if they hadn't found their dad's room abandoned, then had to get Dean out of jail and finally if Pavlov hadn't caused mass panic in the local diner because some stupid woman thought he was a wolf. Really, Pavlov look nothing like a wolf. And he could so take on a wolf any day.

However, the niggling feeling Sam had been having the whole weekend since Dean had let him hear and read all the information their dad had found had gone when they'd realised it was a Woman in White that they were after. Which was a relief but also added to Sam's frustration because it meant John bloody Winchester had just bailed half way through a hunt and had created panic in his oldest son by doing so. If Sam caught up with his dad, he was so letting Pavlov bite him.

First though, Pavlov was biting Dean. Because if it ever came out that he'd made a fake 911 call so that his brother could break out of jail, then he was fairly certain that would impact somewhat on his chances of becoming a lawyer. Even if he wanted to be a fairly shady lawyer in the first place.

Sam was driving down the main highway that all of the men had disappeared from, feeling smug as he glanced to the side to where Pavlov was - blatantly breaking Dean's rules - sitting in the front passenger seat. As thought his thoughts summoned him, Sam's phone began to ring with the ringtone he'd set for Dean. Dean would probably kick Sam's ass if he knew Sam had set a Lily Allen song as his ringtone, but it never failed to make Sam snicker to himself.

"Yeah?"

_"Fake 911 phone call? Sammy, I don't know, that's pretty illegal,"_ Dean said clearly sounding amused whilst Sam just grinned, still amused over the ringtone.

"You're welcome,"

_"Listen, we gotta talk."_ Sam glanced to the side when Pavlov shifted slightly, then registered what Dean had said.

"Tell me about it. So, the husband _was_ unfaithful. We _are_ dealing with a Woman in White. And she's buried behind her old house, so that should have been Dad's next stop," Sam said, frowning a little as he wondered just why their dad had abandoned a hunt that seemed to be so clear cut.

_"Sammy, would you shut up for a second?"_ Dean snapped, making Sam scowl at the road and not notice Pavlov slowly start to growl and fidget agitatedly.

"I just can't figure out why Dad hasn't destroyed the corpse yet," Sam said, not even bothering to keep his annoyance out of his voice and deciding to ignore Dean's wishes and give his brother a taste of his own medicine. He glanced to the side when Pavlov's growling got a little louder, but couldn't think of a reason behind it.

_"Well that's what I'm trying to tell you! He's gone! Dad left Jericho,"_ Sam didn't think Dean would appreciate Sam pointing out that he'd figured that one out for himself. Or if Sam said 'I told you so'.

"How do you know?" Sam asked instead, deciding that clearly Dean had a reason for finally believing what Sam had been petulantly muttering all weekend. It was possible that Sam wasn't entirely following Gabriel's advice to get close to his brother once more.

_"I've got his journal."_ Sam nearly choked on his own spit when Dean said that, just because it was the last thing he had expected his brother to say.

"He doesn't go anywhere without that thing!"

_"Yeah, well, he did this time,"_ Dean told him grimly, though Sam's attention was now being partially kept on Pavlov, who was now loudly growling and snarling as he stared at something out the window.

"What's it say?" Sam asked absently, nibbling on his lip at he took his glance off the road and looked at Pavlov, wishing he had a free hand so he could try to calm his pet down.

_"Ah, the same old ex-Marine crap, when he wants to let us know where he's going."_ Sam absently took in Dean's words and rolled his eyes, wondering if he should maybe just hang up and try to find out why Pavlov was acting so odd before carrying on this conversation.

"Huh. Coordinates then. Where to?" Sam could feel an unsettled feeling in his stomach as Pavlov spun in his seat and snarled at nothing, moving nearer to Sam, so much so that he was practically sitting on Sam and made Sam almost lose control of the car. Which was why Sam decided to maybe slow his speed a little. "Pavlov!"

_"That dog better be in the back, Sammy! And I'm not sure yet where Dad wants us to go."_

"I don't understand!" Sam said, not too sure if he was speaking to Dean or Pavlov. Deciding that speaking to Dean would be considered more sane, Sam figured he should follow that line of thought instead, though Pavlov's persistence at getting as close to Sam as possible. "I mean, what could be so important that Dad would just skip out in the middle of a job? Dean, what the hell is going on? FUCK!"

Pavlov gave a loud, threatening bark and jumped over the back of the seat, making Sam swerve the car in shock and drop his phone as he grabbed at the wheel of the car. Cursing loudly again when he looked in the back seat and saw Pavlov attack Constance.

Literally attack Constance. Who was a spirit. And therefore should be unable to be harmed by Pavlov. When he got home, Sam was definitely going to have a word with Crowley about Pavlov. Sam finally slammed the breaks on the car, making Pavlov almost fall off the seat in the back, which was apparently all Constance needed to get from Pavlov's jaw to Sam.

In hindsight, breaking was not Sam's brightest of ideas.

"Take me home," Constance demanded from where she was now sitting next to Sam in the passenger seat.

"Shit," Sam muttered under his breath before turning to look at Constance, trying to ignore the growling and barking from Pavlov. "No!"

"Take me home!" Constance demanded, sounding less sad now and more angry. The car doors locked themselves, making Sam jump and quickly yank at them even though he knew it would be futile. As Sam struggled with the doors, the gas pedal of the car was suddenly pressed down, making the car jerk forwards. Sam made an attempt to try and steer it, but realised that Constance was controlling every part of the car, then to the side, Constance flickered and disappeared.

Sam tried to gain control back of the car to see if Constance had finally left them, only to fail and suddenly get a sinking feeling when the car apparently reached its destination and pulled to a stop in front of Constance's house.

"Don't do this," Sam whispered, his breath showing as the temperature of the car dropped.

"I can never go home," Constance flickered into vision next to Sam once more, though looked like an image from a bad TV reception as she kept flickering in and out every so often. Sam swore down if she said 'help me Obi Wan Kenobi' then he was filming it and putting it on Youtube.

There was a chance that Gabriel had made it next to impossible for Sam to take much serious anymore. Even his ever looming death. Though with a quick glance over his shoulder, Sam noticed Pavlov was no longer in the back seat.

Turning his attention back to the matter at hand, namely Constance, he looked at her and realised just what she had said.

"You're scared to go home," Sam said with realisation, looking at the house in front of them then back to Constance, and swallowing heavily when she was no longer there. Glancing around the car, Sam didn't see her anywhere nor did he see any sign of Pavlov. He flinched when a wave of cold washed over him and Constance reappeared, this time on his lap.

Before Sam had time to react, she pushed at his chest hard enough that the impact made the seat recline. Sam struggled against her, trying to move just enough that he could grab a knife or something useful.

"Hold me. I'm so cold," Constance told him, not changing her hold on him or letting up any, making Sam pinned and pretty much helpless.

"You can't kill me! I'm not unfaithful! I've never been unfaithful! They know about one another! Hell, they sleep with one another! We all do! It's not unfaithful because we're faithful to each other!" Sam gasped out, trying to get it through to the spirit but clearly failing as the spirit just dug his fingers into Sam's shoulders, pinning him even more to the seat.

"You will be. Just hold me," Constance said, before she leant forward and kissed Sam, stopping anything Sam might have said to her. Like pointing out he was gay for one. Sam struggled against her, trying to grab the keys in the ignition. They both froze however, when the sound of a low growl came from the side.

Before Sam could react or even blink, Pavlov launched himself at Constance, making Sam flinch when the dog and the spirit hit the door. Moving quickly, Sam managed to roll backwards over the seat and got out of the way of Pavlov and Constance. He gave a small wince as he considered just what damage they might be causing the seats, and quickly reached forward and forced the driver side door open.

Pavlov quickly snapped at Constance's throat and dragged the spirit out of the car, then quickly jumped on the spirit and began to tear and rip at her body with his claws and teeth. Sam just sat where he was in the back, mouth opened slightly and eyes wide, completely dumb-founded by what he was witnessing.

Constance gave a loud scream suddenly, which was echoed by Pavlov's howl, then they both disappeared into the ground, like a thick liquid going through a sieve.

"What. The. Fuck. Dude!" Sam totally did not jump and yelp when Dean seemingly appeared out of nowhere by the car and opened the door Sam was next to.

"I… have no idea," Sam admitted faintly, not taking his eyes off the now untouched patch of dirt that Pavlov and Constance had been.

"No, seriously, what the hell was that? Your dog just mauled a spirit! As in could physically touch it and rip it to shreds! Then it, what, just… melted?!" Dean exclaimed, arms pinwheeling about in a show of his agitation. Sam just gently pushed Dean aside enough to let him out of the car and gave a small shrug.

"I really don't have any idea. But um… maybe we should have a talk on the way back to mine, yeah?" Sam suggested weakly, trying to smile but ultimately failing when faced with Dean's acidic glare.

"We can't leave! How do we know that bitch is gone?" Dean asked him, anger seeping into his voice and making Dean's actions jerky and sudden as he climbed into the drivers side of the car. Sam took that as his hint and quickly moved to get into the passenger side.

"She's gone. Trust me. I'll er… try to explain what happened. Well, what I think might have happened. But only if we make a start on getting me home. We can work out where Dad went as well. Seriously though, Dean. It's Sunday. We need to make a start on getting me back if I want to make it in time for the interview," Sam said, mentally admitting that if Dean refused then he'd just call Gabriel and get him to take him home. He preferred Gabriel's way of travel to Crowley's.

"Fine, but you better tell me everything. And don't think I've forgotten that we need to have a little chat about your choice in partners as well," Dean muttered, angrily putting the car into reverse and pulling away from the car. "You fine with leaving your mutt behind? You don't seem too cut up about the fact it might be dead."

"He's not. I have a good idea as to where he is and I know he's not dead. As for leaving him behind; he'll always be able to find me. Don't worry about that," Sam muttered, sinking into his seat a little as he suddenly felt like a child that had been caught sneaking out.

"Hmm. Well, you better start explaining. First though, work out where Dad is. And we need to make a stop for something to eat. I've got a feeling whatever you're gonna 'fess up to is gonna make me lose my appetite," Dean muttered. Sam just kept silent and tried to sink even more into the seat, silently wishing he had Pavlov with him now to protect him from furious big brothers.


	18. Year 4, Part 4

Part Four

"It's called Blackwater Ridge, Colorado. That should be where Dad went so he might still be there," Sam said after they'd had something to eat and then made a start on getting back to Palo Alto.

Sam had made good use of the reprieve whilst Dean had eaten, but knew the inevitable conversation would have to come up eventually. When Dean had thrust a map and their dad's journal onto his lap after they'd left the diner, Sam knew his reprieve was over.

"Great. How far?" Dean asked him, making Sam glance at him suspiciously but looking all the same. Really, it wasn't like he wanted to aggravate Dean any further by asking pointless questions.

"About six hundred miles."

"So if we shag ass, we could make it by morning," Dean said. Once more, Sam didn't think it would be appreciated if he told Dean that shag meant something completely different in Britain, and 'shag ass' had a meaning that Dean probably wouldn't like. Though Sam was beginning to get withdrawal from a lack of 'shag ass'.

"No. I need to be back in Palo Alto for that interview. I'm not hunting down Dad. He's fine, Dean. Just accept that he's a dick who doesn't give a shit about how his actions might affect us," Sam muttered, which probably wouldn't make Dean any more susceptible to accepting whatever Sam had to say.

"Yeah, course, whatever. Can't forget that you have a different life now and a new family. A freaking weird family, but one that don't include me or dad apparently," Dean muttered sullenly. Sam tried to feel guilty or understand where Dean was coming from, but his words just made Sam angry and shoved aside any guilt he might have felt.

"What? When have I made you feel like that? I'm sorry if I have dreams that don't include traipsing around the country saving ungrateful, thankless strangers and spending the rest of my life looking over my shoulder! Dean, just… don't, alright? Drop it. Nothing you say will make me change my mind," Sam snapped, slumping a little to lean against the door and looking at Dean with a scowl on his face.

"I just don't get it! And that reminds me! What the fuck is going on with you? You say you don't want to get dragged back into hunting, but your freaking pet mauls spirits and can sink into the ground!" Dean said, voice nearing yelling levels. Sam just scowled at him and shrugged.

"I didn't say I didn't want anything to do with hunting, I just said I didn't want it to be all I lived for. I want a home, and I want a real job! I want friends and I want to be able to sleep in a bed that isn't a motel bed every night! Just… Bobby can do that, so why can't I?" Sam asked, suddenly feeling very tired and not wanting to have this conversation anymore. All he really wanted was Crowley and Gabriel, though he'd settle for Pavlov.

"Why? Why do you have to have that? What about me and Dad?"

"Why can't I have that and you and Dad? What is so repulsive about having a home and friends? What the fuck is your issue with that, Dean?" Sam snapped back, no longer feeling up to listening to Dean's pity me speech and just not understanding why Dean couldn't accept that Sam could have a house _and_ still hunt and be in Dean's life.

"You know I'm not cut out for that kind of life, Sammy! I can't just settle down and be happy! It'd make me go insane!" Dean told him, slamming his hands on the steering wheel in his frustration. Sam just sighed loudly and ran a hand through his hair.

"Fine, okay, but I can. And that doesn't mean you can't visit me, drop by between hunts. Stay with me for some down time should you need it. No one's asking you to just drop everything and live with me, Dean! Hell, Crowley would probably vehemently argue against that, in fact," Sam said with a small grin as he thought about what Crowley would say if Sam told him he was moving Dean in with them.

"Yeah, and about that! What the hell is with you suddenly being gay and liking older men?! More than one! Dude! What the hell is that about?" Dean exclaimed loudly, looking away from the road to shoot Sam a disturbed look.

"It works. I'm happy. Accept it. I'm not changing my life just because you don't like it, Dean," Sam told him, deciding to get that out there before Dean even thought of trying to make Sam get out of the relationship. Sam loved his brother and valued his opinion, just not on this. Not when it came to Sam's private life and happiness.

"Sam! This isn't you! You've never showed any attraction to guys before! How do you know this isn't some sort of spell?! They're using you for something!" Dean shouted loudly. Sam growled quietly and sat up straight.

"Stop the car."

"What?"

"Stop the car, Dean. I'm getting out. I'll make my own way back from here," Sam said in a forced calm voice, hand moving to rest on the door handle. He had enough, he was tired and hurt and strangely feeling lonely in the hostile environment of the car, and he just wanted to be home. He didn't want to deal with Dean's crap and he didn't want to have to defend himself and his lovers. He just wanted to be accepted and not have everything slightly different that he did be thought of as a curse.

"I'm not stopping the car just because you don't like the conversation, Sam. Grow up and accept what we have to talk about!"

"No! You grow up! You can't just say that I'm under a spell or cursed or whatever crap you're thinking just because I'm doing something you don't understand or accept! I'm not being forced in this relationship! They haven't put a spell on me!" Sam spat out, twisting in his seat so that he could glare at Dean and look at Dean's face for his reaction. Dean's grip on the wheel just tightened, to the point where his knuckles were white, and glared at the road in front of them.

"How do I know that? Huh? How can I trust that you're fine and not being forced into this?" Dean asked him, not taking his gaze away from the road though his jaw clenched and his glare became even more venomous.

"I am fine! And if you don't believe me, then believe Bobby! Bobby's met Crowley and Gabriel, and you know what? He likes them! Crowley went to visit Bobby on his own last month when I needed the house to myself for the weekend! In fact, I'll be quite honest, that disturbed me and a terrified me in equal measures. But that's not the point, the point is, Bobby trusts them! I'm not saying you should trust them, or even like them, but trust me! Trust that I know what I'm doing!" Sam said, yanking at his hair harshly in his frustration and to stop himself from just strangling his brother.

"Bobby really knows them?" Dean asked, voice and entire demeanour seemingly quieter and more subdued as that sank in.

"Yes. Bobby knows them. We all stayed with him over Christmas and for a couple of weeks over the last two summer breaks. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Dean. Really, I am. I was just… scared. And apparently for good reason. You clearly don't like it, so I don't really know what I can say or do to make it any better. Just… don't make me choose, Dean," Sam added in a whisper, not entirely sure Dean would like the result if he did that.

"Sammy…" Dean shot him a sad and slightly hurt look, clearly shocked that Sam would think he'd do that, but Sam just didn't know what Dean would say ro do anymore. "Sam… I'd never make you choose, I just… I worry about you, Sammy. Even more because I don't think they're human!"

Sam looked away from Dean, never able to lie well to his brother and so delaying when Dean would realise he had just hit on a very good point.

"Sam?"

"Dean…" Sam sighed and just shrugged, not sure how he could answer to that in a way that Dean would accept. In fact, he wasn't sure there _was_ a way.

"Just tell me what they are, Sam," Dean told him, tone telling Sam not to mess him about or even try to lie. Sam deflated and just gave a weary sigh.

"Fine, they're not human. But… Bobby knows what they are and he accepts it! He knows I'm safe and that they'd never do anything to hurt me! So just… keep that in mind when I tell you, yeah?" Sam asked tentatively, glancing at Dean from the side, his hair covering most of his face and acting like a small barrier between him and his brother's growing anger.

"Just tell me, then I'll decide how I'm gonna react, alright?"

"That doesn't make me want to tell you anymore," Sam pointed out, wincing when Dean just glared at him.

"Sam," Dean said through a clenched jaw, hands gripping tightly at the steering wheel once more.

"Fine, just… right. Gabriel is actually um… he's Loki. The Trickster god. Those knives you were admiring? Yeah, well they were a Christmas present from two of Loki's sons. Fenrir and Jormungandr," Sam added, wondering if Dean would remember much about Loki's history to make the connection. Judging by the way the car swerved, Sam would say that he probably had.

"Dude! What the hell? No, really, what the hell?! Sammy, you're sleeping with a monster?!" Dean asked, voice amusingly high and making Sam wonder if his brother had worn a pair of jeans just a little too tight. And then Sam considered if Dean's reaction to what Crowley was would be better or worse.

Of course, given how Sam's luck seemed to be going, that was the moment that Pavlov chose to fade into the back seat of the Impala with a disgruntled growl, and Sam only just had time to consider his shitty luck before Dean slammed on the breaks and Sam only just prevented himself from becoming one with the dashboard. The startled yelp from the back told him that Pavlov hadn't been quite so lucky.

"WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR DOG?!" Dean yelled, making Sam flinch from the noise and, choosing to ignore Dean's question for the time being, Sam looked over the back of the chair to make sure that Pavlov was alright.

"Hey! Watch it! You could have hurt him!" Sam snapped, fussing at Pavlov and patting the dog on the head when he had made sure that he was unhurt.

"SAM! No joking about now, what the fuck is that?" Dean asked, pointing at Pavlov, who just showed that he had little to no survival skills by leaning forward and licking Dean's finger. "DUDE!"

"Dean, just… calm down and shut up. Start the car again and I'll tell you on the way back to mine. Okay?" Sam asked, trying to keep his voice calm and soothing so that Dean didn't just shoot him and Pavlov.

"Fine. Just… start talking," Dean muttered venomously, jerkily starting the car once more and pulling back onto the road. Sam just stifled the sigh that wanted to get out and then settled himself down to more screaming from Dean and a migraine by the time they got to Palo Alto.

"Yeah, yeah. Just promise me you won't shoot me or Pavlov. And no more emergency stops! I'm quite fond of my nose remaining unbroken is that's quite alright with you," Sam muttered sullenly, shuffling to try and get comfortable in the seat.

"Fine, no emergency stops and I won't shoot you," Dean said begrudgingly.

"And?"

"And what?"

"And you won't shoot who else?"

"Fine! I won't shoot your damned demon dog either!" Dean spat, amusing Sam by just how close he actually was to what Pavlov was with his insult.

"Good. So… you weren't too far off guessing Pavlov's um… breed," Sam said, deciding to maybe get the reaction to what Pavlov was out of the way first and then maybe Dean rant for the rest of the journey so that he didn't have to tell Dean what Crowley was. Or maybe Dean would just forget that Sam hadn't told him what Crowley was. Either way, Sam calculated that they had about forty minute tops before they got home, so Sam could just stall.

"What do you mean?" Dean asked him, sounding wary and shooting Sam a suspicious look, which just made Sam try to smile his most innocent smile back.

"Well… Pavlov is um… a Hellhound. But he's a baby! Still! Technically! Sort of. How old would a hellhound have to be before he's no longer classed as a baby?" Sam asked, though he was well aware that he was basically asking himself as Dean was probably hearing that strange white noise sound of anger by this point. Sam glanced to the side at Dean and gave a small nod to himself. Definitely at the white noise anger stage.

"WHAT?!" Sam considered it a small mercy that Dean hadn't slammed on the breaks this time and just swerved the car a little. It was also probably a really good thing that they were driving at night when the roads were practically empty.

"Yeah… but he's well-trained and he was the runt of the litter, so he's more a reject hellhound than anything. And look at him! He's adorable! Aren't you, Pavlov? Yes you are!" Sam cooed, leaning over the seat to fuss at Pavlov and press a kiss to the wiggling and happy dogs head.

When he sat back in his seat, he looked to Dean and saw his brother was staring at him like he had no idea who was sitting next to him in the car. Or maybe wondering if Sam had completely lost his mind somewhere down the road.

"You did not just baby talk to a monster. Tell me that wasn't what you were doing and that I've actually fallen asleep at the wheel and I'm just trapped in a horrific nightmare. When I wake up, you'll be normal and we won't have the family pet of the Munster's sitting in my back seat," Dean said, practically begging Sam to back him up on his wild and slightly strange fantasy.

Sadly for Dean, Sam wasn't in the mood to make life easy for him. Or for himself given had he agreed to that, then they could probably have at least made it back home before Dean demanded more answers once more.

"Yeah, you'll come to reality when you smash full speed into a tree and wrap your baby around it. Sorry, not gonna be happening. Reality is this and for you it seemingly sucks. For me? Less sucky though may become more so should you try to kill me or my pet," Sam added with a small tilt of his head to Dean. A quick glance at his watch told him that only twenty minutes had passed and so they still had another twenty to go.

"Sammy! Why the hell would you have a hellhound for a pet? No wait, _where_ the hell do you get a hellhound for a pet?" Dean asked, sounding completely baffled by that.

"Exactly!"

"What?"

"Hell! Well, okay, I didn't get him from Hell. I've never been to Hell, though the guy in the town centre possibly thinks I'm headed straight there when I die because I like guys in a totally less than platonic way," Sam conceded with a small shrug and a cheeky grin to show Dean he was joking - at least about the going to Hell part. He hoped. Not that he didn't think Gabriel or Crowley wouldn't break him out if he did happen to end up in Hell.

"Sam, can you just take this seriously for one freaking minute?! What the hell has happened to you? You used to be the one who would want serious talks and conversations about our feelings!" Dean said, with a glance to Sam which let Sam see just how frustrated his brother was. Sam bit at his bottom lip and gave a small shrug, trying to stomp down on the guilt he was starting to feel.

"Sorry. I just… when you live with Loki, it's kinda hard to take much seriously. You sort of learn to see the funny side in everything, even the shitty stuff. And well, you've got to admit, this conversation is kinda shitty. Sorry for making it worse though, I just can't help it anymore," Sam admitted with a small shrug, hoping that that confession hadn't made things even worse. Though he was a little relieved to notice that they were passing places he recognised and knew meant they were only five or ten minutes away from his house.

"And that's healthy? And a good thing? Not being able to be serious is a good thing?" Dean asked him, not sounding like he entirely believed or even saw where Sam was coming from.

"Yeah, it kind of is. I mean, it might not be in some cases, but it helps me not to get too angry or stressed or upset about things because I can always pick apart what's happening and find something amusing in it," Sam told him, trying to get Dean to at least understand his side of things a little, and also feeling guilty because he was now feeling so very relieved that they had just pulled down his street and he hadn't had to tell Dean what Crowley was. Though if Dean gave it much though, then he'd probably work it out.

"Yeah… I suppose. Just…" Dean sighed and paused when he pulled the car to a stop outside Sam's house. "Fine, I guess I can't really fault you for thinking like that."

"You want to come in?" Sam asked, pausing part way out of the car to look at Dean as he offered. Dean just gave him a small smile and shook his head.

"Nah, I think I'm gonna make a start on finding Dad. Just, stay safe, yeah? And call me whenever you need me or just wanna talk, okay? Don't keep so much from me," Dean added in a small voice that just made Sam smile widely at him, even as his heart gave a small lurch over leaving his brother behind once more.

"Of course I won't, Dean! I'm sorry that I did this time. I promise never to do it again, yeah? And don't be a stranger. You know where I live and you have my number, so just… stay in touch, okay?" Sam asked him, before opening the back door for Pavlov to get out and grabbing his bag, then closing both doors and giving a small wave to Dean as he turned to his home.

Sam walked up the silent driveway, giving a small frown when Pavlov gave a little growl beside him and nipped at the bottoms of Sam's jeans. Sam paused at the front door, key in his hand as he took in the unusual silence of the building and mentally wondered just where his lovers were.

"Sam?" Sam jumped when Dean spoke up from right behind him just as he was finally opening the door. Sam just turned to look at Dean and shrugged a shoulder at the questioning looks he was getting.

"Something's off," Sam admitted, looking down at Pavlov when the dog backed his feeling by shoving past Sam and growling, looking like he was trying to keep Sam and Dean out of the house.

"You wanna go see what?" Dean asked, placing a calming hand on Sam's shoulder as he gently moved Sam to the side as though to enter the house before Sam.

"Yeah, come on," Sam said, only just stopping himself from rolling his eyes when Dean actually did push his way past Sam and enter the house first. "Bedroom."

"What?" Dean asked in a whisper, looking over his shoulder to look at Sam when Sam spoke. Sam just nodded to Pavlov, who was indeed heading up the stairs and to the bedroom.

"Go to the bedroom. If anything is wrong, then it looks like it might be in there," Sam told him, nibbling on his lip hard enough that he tasted blood. He made a silent wish that Crowley and Gabriel were fine and followed Dean upstairs.

Dean pushed the door to the Master bedroom open and immediately froze at whatever it was that he'd seen. Sam frowned and pushed Dean aside, ignoring his brother's attempts to stop him and then froze himself, eyes widening as he took in the form of Crowley pinned to the ceiling.

"Dean…? Crowley?" Sam asked, voice sounding small and young as he tried to get his head around what he was seeing.

"Sammy, come on. We gotta get out of here," Dean told him, tugging at Sam's arm and trying to drag Sam out of the room. Sam however just stood pinned to the spot and refused to be moved.

"No. LOKI!" Sam shouted, wondering just where his other lover was. Dean made a small noise in the back of his throat and tugged on Sam's arm once more before Sam heard him give a sharp inhale. Sam however knew exactly what had brought that reaction out of his brother.

Almost as soon as Sam had called Loki's name, a man had appeared in the corner of the room. A man who definitely wasn't Loki and who had bright yellow eyes. Sam stumble stepped back from the man, bumping into Dean whilst Pavlov gave a snarled bark but didn't move from his spot where he was guarding Sam.

Before anyone could do more to react, and before the new arrival could do or even say anything, Gabriel silently appeared behind him. Sam almost felt himself physically sag with relief and glanced up, only to jerk in shock at the now bare ceiling.

"Little Sammy Winchester. Well, not so little now, huh?" The new-comer said, speaking up at last and apparently not noticing that things weren't going according to his plan anymore. Sam narrowed his eyes at the man, trying not to flinch when Dean's grip around his wrist tightened.

"Wh-who are you?" Sam asked, cursing himself for stammering and letting any kind of weakness show. A new hand, that Sam just knew belonged to Crowley, appeared pressed to Sam's lower back, and the widening of the yellow-eyed man's eyes told Sam that he'd finally noticed Crowley was no longer pinned to the ceiling.

"He's called Azazel, and he has a couple of plans that Crowley and I aren't completely down with. Luckily for us, Zazzy here isn't too bright and walked right into our trap!" Gabriel announced cheerfully as he placed a hand on Azazel's shoulder, seemingly freezing the being in place. Sam just gaped and looked from Gabriel to Crowley before looking at Dean who looked to be just as stunned as Sam was feeling.

"Huh?" Sam finally asked oh so eloquently, though in his defence he really had no idea what else he could have said.

"You've met Azazel before, Sammy. And for some reason, that meeting all those years ago made Azazel think he owned you. Which is just stupid because everyone who's got a lick of sense knows that _we_ own you if anyone can claim that right," Gabriel told him, making Sam realise that Azazel was clearly the very same thing that had killed their mom. Judging by Dean's barely audible growl, he had realised that as well.

Crowley chose that moment to move forward a step so that he was standing just behind and between the two brothers, placing a calm hand on Dean's shoulder whilst keeping his other arm wrapped around Sam's waist.

"Right, stop blithering on and get on with the plan, Trickster. We don't have all night and the Moose here looks dead on his feet," Crowley announced, smirking when Azazel's eyes moved to look at him with confusion clear in them. "Oh yeah, should I feel hurt that you didn't recognise me, Azazel?"

"Crowley?!" Azazel spat out, apparently his paralysis wasn't extended to his mouth. Crowley just smirked smugly and gave a small dip of his head.

"That's me. And you messed about with what's mine, mate. You know I don't take that very well. I'm not one to share, and Sam is definitely not something I'm willing to share with anyone except the Trickster," Crowley told Azazel, voice low and practically dripping with disdain and anger.

"He's mine. You know he is. I know you were told everything by my little worker bee. Where is he, by the way?" Azazel asked, clearly not taking any notice of the danger he had standing behind him in the form of Gabriel as he taunted Crowley. Though Sam sort of wanted to know what they were all talking about.

"Ah, no. See, something happened a while back and well, let's just say stuff happened, happy times were had and bonding happened. Physically and literally," Gabriel added with a leer to Sam. Sam blushed bright red whilst Dean made a small distressed noise.

"Dude! No! That's my baby brother you're talking about!" Dean exclaimed, clearly forgetting that they were in a room with their mother's killer and glaring at Gabriel, who just grinned completely unapologetic for his words.

"That's not possible!" Azazel spat, ignoring Dean's disgusted words and instead picking up on Gabriel's. Something Sam wouldn't mind clearing out either.

"Yeah? Sadly for you, it is. So I guess now would be the time to get rid of any competition you might try to pose, huh?" Gabriel asked, a short silver blade that Sam had never seen before suddenly appearing in Gabriel's hand as he spoke.

"You can try, but you know it won't work. I'm stronger than a pitiful trickster god and definitely stronger than a prince of the crossroads," Azazel told them all smugly. Dean gave a sharp inhale at that, whilst Sam felt his eyes widen as he learnt just how high up Crowley was.

"Good try, but I'm not just a mere Trickster," Gabriel said in a low voice before thrusting the blade into Azazel's back. Azazel gave a pained gasp as a strange bright light seemed to travel through him, making him jerk in Gabriel's grasp before the blade was pulled out of his chest and Gabriel let the body drop to the floor. "Well, that was exciting!"

"Clean up your mess, Trickster," Crowley told Gabriel with a sneer, looking at the dead body on the floor and walking into the room past Sam and Dean. Both of whom were frozen to the spot as they realised that the thing they'd spent all their lives hunting was now dead.

"I…" Dean's voice cracked a little as he took a shaky step into the room and slumped agains the wall. Sam didn't feel much better himself, though he managed to move further into the room and sit on the bed, Pavlov immediately jumping up and lying right up against his side.

"Dean?" Sam asked cautiously, looking over at his brother, who looked like he was struggling to process everything that had happened in the last few days. And gods if it didn't feel like years ago that Dean had broken into Sam's house.

"What the hell is going on, Sammy?" Dean just muttered, not answering Sam's silent query to his state of mind. Though the clenched jaw and tightly controlled tone of his voice gave Sam his answer anyway.

"Maybe we should have a talk about everything?" Crowley suggested calmly, moving to stand beside Sam and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Though after Gabriel has gotten rid of the body."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm just a slave for you really, aren't I?" Gabriel muttered, kicking at the body angrily.

"Stop whinging and do your job, you glorified carrier pigeon," Crowley said with a sneer. Sam blinked and then let out a somewhat hysterical giggle at the sheer absurdity of the whole situation.

"Uh oh, you've broken him," Gabriel pointed out before giving a quirky wave and disappearing along with the body.

"I'm gonna say it again, Sam. What the hell is going on?" Dean asked quietly, blinking when Crowley made a chair appear with a casual wave of his hand and motioned for Dean to take a seat in it. Dean gave it a weary look before just accepting it for what it was and moving to sit in it.

"Right, well whilst the Annoyance is away, I'll catch you up. He's your brother, Sam. I'm Sam's lover, Crowley and also the second in command of the crossroads demons, as Azazel so kindly pointed out. The irritant that left us just is Gabriel, also know as Loki. And also your brother's lover," Crowley summed up, shoving at Sam so that he could sit next to him on the bed.

"He's your lover too," Sam pointed out in a quiet voice, not entirely sure why he had to clear that up. Probably because that damned spirit had made it seem like he was cheating on one or both of them.

"No, I refuse to admit to that. I have a reputation, you know. Letting you keep that bloody pathetic excuse for a hellhound is already making the reputation shaky. Don't make it worse for me," Crowley muttered, getting a snort from Dean before he could even stop it if the startled look on his face was anything to go by.

"Sam, your partners are totally weird," Dean muttered, though he gave Sam a shaky grin which told Sam that he finally had Dean's acceptance. Sam just beamed brightly back, feeling like a weight had been taken from his shoulders.

"What… what do we do now, Dean?" Sam finally asked, glancing back to the spot where the body of Azazel had been before Gabriel had taken it away to wherever he took bodies. Which made it sound like Gabriel got rid of bodies on a regular basis. And Sam disturbed himself a little by realising that he probably did.

"I… have no idea, Sammy. I don't… we've lived our whole lives hunting that thing and now it's over… what… I don't know what to do," Dean admitted in a small voice, shrugging and running a hand through his short hair.

"Well, Sam has an interview for law school in about ten hours time, so that's his future possibly figured out. And well, no offence, Dean, but I don't really think you'd ever be happy not hunting. I could be wrong because I don't really know you other than from what Sam has told us, but I don't think I am," Crowley said with a smirk and a shrug. Dean just sighed and nodded his head.

"Yeah, what's your point?"

"My point? Well, I just mean you should carry on hunting. Maybe stick around for a bit longer, take on hunts that are nearer, go on hunts with Sam, me and Gabriel on the occasional weekend. Use this place as a sort of base or go to Bobby Singer's place. Either way, I think you'd be happiest huntin'," Crowley pointed out bluntly. Sam just blinked at Crowley before looking at Dean to try and work out what he felt about that.

"You'd hunt?" Was what Dean said in answer to Crowley's suggestion, looking at Sam with a confused look.

"Uh… yeah. Bobby told me I had to get back into hunting so I didn't forget anything or something. I dunno, it was a long story. I'll tell it to you later, but I think we maybe need to work out what to do now first. And get some sleep. Because I'm exhausted," Sam admitted as he let out a jaw-popping yawn as though reminding his body that it had been too long since he'd last slept.

"Fine, yeah. Okay. What about dad? What do we do about him? I mean, he needs to know that it's dead. That the thing that killed mom is finally gone. But we don't really know where he is," Dean said, shoulders sagging in a visible show of his distress and probably his fatigue as well.

"We can find your dad for you," Gabriel announced as he appeared in the room once again and took a seat on the other side of Sam, with Pavlov stubbornly staying between them much to Gabriel's consternation.

"What?"

"Well, I can find out the whereabouts of your dad and take you to him if you want. Or bring him here, though I'd imagine that he'd be less impressed with that option. Either way, you'll be able to tell him about Azazel and then you can decide what to do from there. And if you're open to suggestions, I say you let Sam carry on with his plans of becoming a lawyer, whilst you carry on hunting and you and Sammy go on hunts together over the occasional weekend and during breaks," Gabriel suggested with a smile at Dean whilst placing a hand on Sam's leg and squeezing it gently.

"Yeah. I guess that'd work. When should we… can we wait? To find dad, I mean. It's just… I'm so tired and just wanna sleep. For like a week. I don't know, I sort of feel like I've had a rug ripped from underneath me, ya know?" Dean said with a weak little chuckle. Sam nibbled on his lip and gave a small nod, knowing exactly what Dean meant.

"Hey, you don't have to do anything. Take all the time you need. Just know the offer's there," Gabriel told him with a kind smile. It was in moments like this that Sam saw the more angelic aspects to Gabriel's nature, though he normally smothered them moments later with a prank or joke of some sort. Sam was actually a little shocked that Gabriel had managed to stay serious for this long.

"Dean, you can stay here for as long as you like, then when we both feel ready, we can get Gabriel and Crowley to take us to dad, yeah?" Sam suggested, stifling another yawn as he waited for Dean's answer.

"Yeah, okay. I'm… I'm good with that idea. It'll be nice to actually sleep in a bed that isn't a motel bed for once and well… to spend more time with you, Sammy," Dean admitted with a sheepish smile. Sam chuckled and gave a sleepy nod of agreement to that.

"Definitely. Can we pick up this conversation tomorrow? After my interview? I've got a feeling I'm gonna need to get some sleep tonight. I think the spare bed should be made, if it's not, Gabe can do it with a click of his fingers. You okay?" Sam asked, looking at Dean with a small feel of concern, hoping that Dean was coping with everything that had happened.

"Yeah. Of course. And you know, I can get to know those two a bit better whilst you're at your interview! Ask them for stories that I've missed out on while being away from you," Dean added with a wicked smirk that reassured Sam that Dean was going to be fine and made Sam feel a little scared over what kind of stories his brother and his lovers could share.

Sam had a feeling that his life was going to get just that little more humiliating now that it looked like Dean would be a more permanent fixture in it. And Sam couldn't bring himself to feel any kind of negativity about that.

"Sure, just make sure I have equally embarrassing stories about all of you as well!" Sam warned them with a wide grin. Dean just snorted and stood from the chair, Gabriel jumping from the bed as well.

"I'll take you to the spare room, Dean. Come on," Gabriel told him, leading him out of the room. Dean just followed him with a small nod, pausing at the door and looking back at Sam.

"Night, Sammy. And… I'm glad it's over and you're happy." Sam just blinked mutely at that as Dean grinned and left the room. Crowley chuckled beside him and placed a light kiss to Sam's temple, and breaking Sam from his surprise.

"Get some sleep, Moose. We can all talk about everything tomorrow," Crowley told him, helping Sam get out of his clothes and then get into the bed when he was just wearing his boxers.

"Yeah… night, Ley," Sam mumbled, frowning a little when Crowley didn't get into bed with him and instead moved as though he was going to leave the room. "Ley?"

"Sleep, Sam. I'm just gonna make sure the protections are back up around the house. I'll be back in a little bit and Gabriel will be back from setting up your brother shortly. You're safe now, Sam," Crowley added softly. Sam just gave a sleepy smile and nodded before sinking into the comfort of the bed and letting sleep take him. Finally actually knowing Crowley was right and that he was safe.

**A/N - This story… hands up, I never thought it would end! I actually started to panic around the forty-thousand mark… which those that follow me on Twitter will possibly remember. And so yeah, a huge thanks to them! Thanks to every one on Twitter that listened to me panic over this monster that didn't seem to want to end. And to those that were possibly just intrigued as to what the hell I was rambling on about when tweeting about Crambriel! **

**So, on to the fic, yeah? There isn't much to say really. First, the whole idea of this came from me wondering just why there aren't many fics with this pairing. And then I sort of came up with Crambriel and well, spent a vast majority of the time writing this, craving cranberries. I had no idea that it was going to be this long. And I actually just started to write it as a oneshot because of a vague idea I chatted to about. Some how it turned into this monster! Heh**

**Now, a couple of things I just wanna bring up about the fic before people say anything about them. First, the salt allergy. It's a real thing. I have one, which makes my mum cackle and call me a mini-demon. She should never be allowed to watch Supernatural. So anyway, yes, it's a real thing and it sucks. **

**Second, Crowley's 'demon eyes'. This is totally a homage to Mark Sheppard. A couple of years ago, he was asked what colour Crowley's eyes would be as they've never actually changed in the show. He answered that he thought Crowley's eyes would be a nice baby blue. *snickers* It's always amused me so I had to find a way to fit it in. **

**Balti Towers is a local Indian restaurant near me. The name never fails to make me giggle. Even if I can't actually eat there because I'm allergic to pretty much everything that they serve. Still, that name is inspired. **

**The torture implements that are mentioned are all real and I've seen more of them on a tour of the Tower of London. They're kinda awesomely horrifying. Lol. Confusingly enough, the tour was actually in Edinburgh. Which made my geographically challenged mind just give up and shut down. Still, pretty damn interesting. The other alternate methods of torture are also real and have been used by various mob bosses and gang leaders over the decades. Such lovely people, no? **

**I kinda did a vague bit of research on what Sam would actually be studying in Stanford, but it was really, really vague and to the point where I sorta just picked courses that sounded interesting. *snort* **

**Finally, I'm British and Crowley is British. And Loki is Loki… What I'm saying is, Sam had no chance in not picking up Britishisms. I did have a lovely and ever patient American friend pick out all the overly British things, but well, chances are Sam still thinks/speaks a little too British-y… so I'm sticking with the whole Crowley rubbed off on him in more way than one. Plus, all Americans have to admit that our cursing is way more inventive…**


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